The Overseers
by MystiiriousAbnormality
Summary: After almost three years of deliberation, Akatsuki attacks Konoha....again. Will Naruto, who appeared out of nowhere, be able to stop them from destroying his village, yet again...hmmm...And what other threats might Konoha face?
1. Intervention

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_Intervention_

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An explosion of immense proportions could be heard for hundreds of miles. Even before the initial noise of the explosion could no longer be heard, a loud rumbling began, violently shaking the landscape. A huge dust cloud covered the area and the skies above. Nothing could be seen, nothing could be heard; other than the subsequent earthquake.

For you see, a few higher up members of Akatsuki had been ordered to once again destroy Konoha. Unfortunately for them, before they could accomplish their mission, the village shinobi had forced them back, miles away from the village, into a wide open field.

Luckily for the shinobi who were in the fight, the jutsu that caused all of this commotion didn't hit its desired target. In fact, it was way off, and no one had a clear answer as to why. However, almost all of them could have sworn they saw what had happened, the only problem being, it happened so quickly, they weren't sure it actually happened at all.

'Naruto….' thought Sakura as she waited for the dust to clear. She swore she saw a blur that at least somewhat resembled her teammate. He had left once again to train himself, but that had been nearly three years ago; and no one from the village had heard a word from him since he left. When he left, she, and many of the villages shinobi had asked for him to reconsider, and to stay there in the village. However, he was determined to become stronger, to better protect what he held close.

Back to the present, the dust finally began to clear. After being able to see somewhat, Ino walked to Sakura's side, along with a few other shinobi who had been displaced by the blast, including Kiba, Shikamaru, Sai, Neji, a few ANBU, and Tsunade.

As their vision improved even further, everyone's eyes widened a bit, and Sakura's mouth opened slightly in disbelief, hope, and potential joy.

"Is…is that…Naruto?" questioned Ino, asking the question that was on everyone else's minds.

Neji activated his byakugan to take a closer look, "It…it is…" he said, slightly astonished. A few seconds later, a gust of wind cleared whatever remained of the dust cloud, allowing everyone to see what was going on only a few hundred yards away.

There stood Naruto, facing the two Akatsuki members in anticipation. Instead of his normal outfit, he was wearing a black tank top with a custom-made shinobi vest that was a dark, dark blue (easily mistakable for black from a distance.) He also wore a pair of black pants that went almost to his heel, very different from the normal spacing of a few inches from pant to ankle. His forehead protector was no longer worn on his forehead, but instead, he wore it loosely around his neck. He had an orange sash around his waist and he had his red swirl symbol on the back of his vest. His hair was about the same, if not a tad longer, and from what everyone could tell, he had grown a few inches and packed on a few pounds…of muscle that is.

"It is Naruto….but…he looks so different…" stated Kiba as they started to cautiously advance.

Everyone watched as Naruto stood there, in an apparent non-defensive stance, with one hand in his pocket and the other on the back of his neck.

"Does anyone know what actually happened?" asked Ino as they got closer.

Shikamaru sighed, "Well…." He said as he began to recap what had happened.

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"Watch out!!" yelled Kiba as one of the Akatsuki members rushed toward Sai. Just as he was about to hit, one of the ANBU punched him right in the ribs, effectively sending him flying into a tree on the outer edges of the field. The second Akatsuki member really hadn't entered the fight yet, excluding a few dodges from incoming kunai now and then.

He called over to his partner, "Hey…what's up with that, you don't usually get caught off guard like that…" he joked.

"Yeah, yeah…laugh it up Tenko…." He replied as he got up.

"Now!" shouted Tsunade. Suddenly, two ANBU and Shikamaru lunged from behind this 'Tenko' and stabbed him with kunai in three different vital points. Unfortunately for them, it was merely a clone and subsequently turned to the rubble from which it was made.

"Damn…" scoffed Shikamaru as they regrouped with the main force of the village's shinobi. All the while, Sakura and Ino were busy trying their best to heal injured shinobi as they were being evacuated further back into the forest.

"Gha….this is getting irritating…wouldn't you say Mandzu?" questioned Tenko.

"Indeed it is…" he sighed, "What do you suppose we do about it?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Hmmm….a good question…how about we do 'that'…" he replied with a grin.

Mandzu also grinned as he made his way from being surrounded by shinobi on the outskirts of the field, to his partner in the middle, almost undetected. Both of them simultaneously began to gather massive amounts of chakra in their hands. After only a few seconds they put their hands close to each other's and a large 'wave' of chakra began to form.

Tsunade's eyes widened, "Everyone, get back, take cover as best you can in the forest!!" she ordered, but it was to late. The two Akatsuki members raised the chakra above their heads and quickly launched it at the ground below, intending to wipe out anything, and everything, in the immediate area.

Just then, a blur came out of nowhere and hit the chakra wave with such a force, that it repelled miles away from the area before it even hit the ground. The astonishing thing, even though the actual explosion was miles away, the dust reached them almost instantly, with the sound following a few seconds later. So no one actually saw who it was, that is, until the dust cleared…they only had that gut feeling.

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"So…he was able to repel all that chakra?" asked Lee, who had joined the group by now.

"It appears that way." stated one of the ANBU.

Sakura hadn't really been listening to Shikamaru's explanation, or anything else for that matter. She was watching Naruto, who was still just standing there; neither he, nor the Akatsuki had made a move yet.

Just as they got within about one hundred yards of where the face-off was taking place, Gamakichi appeared.

"I wouldn't get much closer than that…" he warned.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, "Why?" asked Kiba, eager to rejoin the fight.

The toad simply looked towards Naruto, gaining the stares of the shinobi around him; his only response was, "Because…he's sorta pissed…" However, he said it in such a serious tone, that they just looked at Naruto.

"What are you talking about…he looks as calm as ever…" stated Ino.

"It would appear that way…yes" he paused, "But that's only because he's trying to prevent them from attacking too soon….he wants to try and learn more before he actually fights them…"

Everyone looked back at Naruto. "How can he gain information by just standing there?" asked Shino, who had also rejoined the group by now, "I understand how Neji and Hinata can with their byakugan'…but he doesn't have anything like that…does he?"

Gamakichi just sat there, watching Naruto and the Akatsuki, a look of seriousness. After a few seconds of silence he spoke, "Well…he does…but he's not using it right now…he's just gathering information the old fashioned way…"

They looked at him in confusion, "Old fashiouned…what's that supposed to…" started Kiba, but was interrupted by Shikamaru.

"I'm assuming he's talking about the old art of individual reconasense…if I'm right…then that means Naruto is learning how they will most likely act, based on how they are breathing, their expression, the look in their eye's, if their shaking, even a tiny bit…that could indicate nervousness…or it could oppositely mean they have an itch for blood and can't wait to get to it…there are many aspects that can be analyzed on the basic scale such as those that can help to understand your opponent even before the fight has begun…"

"Exactly…." stated the toad. "It's not something that can easily be taught in a classroom, or trained by a teacher…it comes to you as you experience combat…some people are more in tune with it than others…"

"What exactly has Naruto been doing these past few years?" asked Shikamaru.

The toad turned around and looked at Tsunade quickly, then returned his gaze on Naruto. "He's kept busy…" is all he said. Tsunade wondered why the toad had looked at her, then she realized something as she looked back at Naruto…he had a tattoo on his left shoulder blade. The mark of one of the most mythic organizations in history…if it actually existed…the League of Overseers. An organization who's start is unknown, who's purpose has for many centuries been thought to be to keep order throughout the world. Not to make peace, because peace will undoubtedly only lead to more war, considering mankind's lust for power. However, it was to keep any conflict from getting too out of control. It has been theorized that the organization had a part in ending some of the most epic wars to take place. At the time, a peace between the combatants would have been unthinkable, however, out of nowhere, the leaders of the forces agreed to a treaty. If many of the rumors about the organization were true, then Naruto had made friends with some very, very powerful people.

Her eyes widened, "No way…." She said quietly, but loud enough for everyone in the group to hear her. Everyone looked at her in confusion, except for Gamakichi.

He closed his eyes and smiled, "Yup….Unreal…Isn't it?" Gaining the utter bewilderment of everyone around them.

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I got started on a different NaSak fic...but i lost interest in that one after the first chapter, hehe, but I'll finish it eventually. Anyways, this kinda just made its way into my head, so I typed it up, and there it is...I'm not too sure of it myself, but we'll see how it goes in following chapters, I know not much Naruto+Sakura in that, but hey, its the first chapter.

Also, don't take the 'Peace will only bring war' part too seriously...it just sounded more interesting.

Reviews are always appreciated, good or bad.


	2. New Arrivals

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_New Arrivals  
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"…okay, what exactly are you two talking about?" questioned a confused Kiba.

Tsunade took a deep breath, "Well…see that tattoo on the back of Naruto's left shoulder that extends under his vest?"

Everyone nodded and continued to listen, "It's the mark of an organization…a group which none of you would have ever heard of…we, as a people, stopped talking about it because of the fear it brought with it. Even the ANBU are to young to have heard about it. In fact, the only reason I know of it is because of my travels, I stumbled across an old man who talked about it freely."

Gaining the interest of the group around her, one of the ANBU asked, "What exactly is the organization called?"

"It was called…The League of Overseers…"

"No…I've never heard of it." The ANBU stated. Tsunade went on to explain the myths of the organization, considering there were no known facts about it, but it captivated all of them regardless.

"Why don't you show yourselves and not these clones of yours…" they heard as they turned to face Naruto.

Tenko smiled, "So…you were able to tell that we aren't the real ones…Impressive."

Neji looked on in interest, "Huh…even my byakugan couldn't tell that they weren't real…."

"Neither could mine…" stated Hinata from behind.

"If you're not gonna come out…then I'll just go to you…" stated Naruto calmly.

"Yea…" he heard from behind, everyone was shocked at how quickly he moved from in front of Naruto, to behind him, "Just try…."

And with those words said, the one behind Naruto quickly took out a sword and began thrusting it towards Naruto's lower back. Just as quickly though, Naruto grabbed the blade end and turned around, giving the guy a quick, but powerful jab to the face, effectively immobilizing him. He did it so quickly though, that no one had a chance to see Naruto's front.

He just stood there, looking at the other, conscious, enemy. "Hmm…your no amateur kid…I'll give you that…but how will you fare against some of our subordinates?" he questioned in amusement. Almost immediately after he finished his sentence, about a dozen shinobi wearing some manner of Akatsuki clothing came out of the woods and jumped into the center of the field.

"If he can beat them…then why would he have trouble beating their subordinates?" questioned Kiba.

Gamakichi cleared his throat, "Remember…these are only clones…and clones like that typically have about thirty percent of the originals power." Everyone went wide eyed, they had been fighting them, and basically losing, and they were only thirty percent. Then Naruto comes along and takes one out with a single punch. 'How much have you changed…' questioned Sakura in her mind.

"If Naruto knows this…" began Ino, "Then how can he have the confidence to face the real ones who are more than three times stronger?"

"Because…" stated Gamakichi, gaining the stupefied stares of those around him. "The weaker clone right there is about a class four …meaning that the original is probably in the range of class six."

"What is this about classes?" asked Shikamaru, gaining an intrigued look.

"It's a separate ranking system from your normal shinobi ranks, it applies to everyone and anyone who has a pulse..." he began to explain, "The average person is a class zero, while an average shinobi is only a class two....and just for an example....Orochimaru was only a class five...and Pain....he was only a class seven."

"So these guys are that much stronger?" questioned Shino.

Gamakichi chuckled, "The class four clone's original body would be about as strong as Pain...much higher than any of us here..."

"Then how are we supposed to win...we couldn't even handle his clone..." complained Ino.

"That's not the half of it...the other clone....he's a class eight...."

"What?? How are we supposed to deal with someone that's that much stronger than us??" questioned Ten-Ten.

Gamakichi laughed, "...only his clone is a class eight....I don't even want to think about his true body..." he said with an amused smile.

No one said a word. It couldn't be possible, how could someone in Akatsuki be more powerful than Pain? How was anyone supposed to deal with a threat like this.

"Are you going on about class ratings again toad?" asked a feminine voice from behind the group. As they turned around, they saw a young woman, about the same age as the rookie nine, and someone else under a cloak, unidentifiable. The woman was wearing an outfit similar to Naruto's, only, her vest was a more traditional shinobi vest, and the color was a blue only a few shades lighter than Naruto's. She also had a short black skirt and tights that went down a few inches past the skirt. Her orange hair was a few inches longer than shoulder length and fashoined into a small ponytail. The odd thing, she had no forehead protector.

Without turning around, Gamakichi responded, "Took you two long enough to get here..."

"Pfft...not like he cant handle this on his own..." said the woman jokingly.

"Don't fool around here Hahari...that clone over there is a class eight...his real body is probably in the range of a class ten or eleven..."

The womans facial expression took on a look of seriousness, "Really.....he doesn't look that strong..."

"....so...you didn't think I looked to strong either..." stated the mysterious guy as he walked up to the toad, taking a position on his left. The woman walked up to Gamakichi's right and crossed her arms.

"Um...who are these two, Gamakichi?" questioned Tsunade.

"Them....Oh, there just some brats Naruto picked up on his trip..." he paused, "They are also part of the League...." he stated boldly.

"You're not supposed to just talk about it so freely you know...." stated the girl.

Gamakichi smiled, "So what....you never follow any rules." he responded.

"So...who are these other guys??" questioned the cloaked man.

"Those are their subordinates...class five."

"Hmm....you think he wants any help?"

"....you know the answer to that..." stated the girl.

"Oh...Gamakichi...I forgot to mention...Toza wants to talk to Naruto soon...it seemed to be quite important..."

"Really...I'm sure he will be glad to hear about this..." stated the toad as he watched Naruto.

"Wow...this fight is lame...." stated the girl as she leaned on the toad.

"Quit your whining..." complained Gamakichi as he shrugged her off. The Konoha shinobi had all been watching the three the whole time, utterly bewildered as to there being there.

Just then, the two subordinates on the outside of the line lunged for Naruto, however, they were taken care of easily by the two new combers who had swiftly made their way from Gamakichi's side, to the flanks of Naruto.

"Hey....you know I like fighting alone...." complained Naruto.

"Yea yea...but you always hog all the fun..." joked the girl as she gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder. Sakura watched this transaction and could only find jealousy occupying her mind. 'Did Naruto find a girlfriend while he was gone?,' she asked in her mind as she felt herself tensing up.

"Now then....why don't we get to it instead of just standing here?" questioned the girl as she took out a kunai.

"She's the real hot head of the group..." stated Gamakichi, "The cloaked one is more reserved and strategic...and, Naruto...he's Naruto...only more patient..." he chuckled.

"Well that basically makes him unlike Naruto." Joked Shikamaru.

"Um...I forgot to ask...what are their classes?" asked Sakura.

"Hahari is a class eight....the cloaked one is a class nine...and Na..." he tried to finish, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"What about Naruto?" she quesitoned, as if she didnt care about the others.

Gamakichi, along with a few of the shinobi around him looked at her for a second in confusion, "Umm....as I was saying...Naruto is a class eleven."

Everyone in the group, regardless of what they were doing turned to him in surprise. "I knew he was strong...but a class eleven...I don't even really know how the class thing works...but to be that much higher than all of us...It's insane..." stated Kiba.

"Well...the class system is flawed...its really only a tool to help _predict _the outcome of a battle. Its just a basic strength thing...you still need to take into account the physical surroundings, knowledge, and stuff like that. So basically...its just a way to compare...not really a tool for telling who could _actually_ win."

"Okay...but still...how does he compare to us?" asked Shikamaru.

"Almost all of you here are class three normally...."

Just as Ino was about to say something, the Akatsuki's subordinates made a move. The next two on the outside of the line jumped forward, while another appeared at Naruto's back. Almost unseen, Naruto used some Taijutsu to incapacitate the three. Then, he turned his body perpendicular to the remaining enemy, while slowly reaching up to his right thigh. Everyone saw that he gripped the hilt of a small sword attached to his leg; it was just shorter than the length of his thigh. Almost undetected, he dashed forward, slashing and stabbing the Akatsuki subordinates, almost all in the blink of an eye. He then appeared back where he was standing, holding his sword down by his side, the blade dripping red.

"Showoff..." jokingly stated the girl standing to his right.

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Wow....I'm sorry for the bore-fest...I know the chapter was really technical (In my opinion at least) but w/e. It's only chapter two, who knows how is gonna progress.

Anyways, reviews are always appreciated, good or bad. (Constructive Criticism always helps.)


	3. Child's Play

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_Child's Play_

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Everyone looked at him in surprise, no one was expecting him to use a sword and to be that proficient with it, it was incredible. He wiped his blade off and slid it back into its sheath.

"Let me take this clone out….you already had enough excitement…" stated Hahari as she took a few steps forward.

"Fine…just be careful…" cautioned Naruto as he crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed a bit.

"Yea, yea…." She mumbled as she turned her feet a bit and brought her hands into position. She started to make her way over to the last clone at an average speed, smile present on her face.

"Do you think she can take him?" asked Kiba.

Gamakichi chuckled, "I have no doubt about it…" and just as he said that, Hahari lunged toward the clone, who put his hands into a defensive position, not expecting the quickness of the attack. She maneuvered her way to his side and gave him a few quick jabs to the ribs and a swift elbow to the back of the neck, effectively paralyzing him.

Hahari pouted, "That wasn't very hard…"

"Don't complain….you know how powerful his real form is…" stated the cloaked guy.

The Konoha shinobi were stunned, they could hardly believe how easily she dispatched the clone whom none of them could even lay a hand on.

Hahari made her way back to Naruto's side, suddenly; Tenko appeared about ten yards away from the three of them.

"Impressive…not only do you have exceptional ability…" he stated as he looked at Naruto, "but your comrades also appear to have skill…..To bad you're all going to die…." He chuckled.

"Says you…" smirked Naruto as he brought his arms to his side.

Tenko smiled, "You can't even imagine….the power some of the higher up Akatsuki members have…"

Naruto quirked a brow, "I thought you were one of the highest…"

Tenko chuckled again, "Not by a long shot…yea…I'm stronger than Pain was….but he was only the head of the outer Akatsuki circle….The inner Akatsuki…well…we're on a completely different level….and I'm one of the weakest of them."

Tsunade gasped, "That can't be possible…" Everyone else just looked at her quickly then returned their attention to the face off, also not believing what was just uttered.

"I was only sent because they figured…my partner and I could handle this on our own….apparently, it won't be as simple as that…"

Tenko raised his hand to about eye level; he then began to gather an incredible amount of chakra in his palm. Almost instantaneously, he lunged forward and jumped over the three of them, and headed straight for Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade!" yelled an ANBU as Tenko appeared before her and began thrusting his palm toward her stomach. Everyone clenched their eyes shut, anticipating the impending strike and being unable to do anything about it.

When no sound of impact came, they opened their eyes. Naruto was standing near Tsunade, facing the Akatsuki. He was holding onto Tenko's hand, not allowing it to get any closer.

"That wasn't very smart…" stated Naruto jokingly. He gave Tenko a strong knee to the stomach, making him fall to his knees in pain. "Why don't you send the real you out…I'm getting sick of these clones…." He stated as he walked back to where he was before.

"Seriously….this isn't even fun…." stated Hahari.

"This….this one isn't the real one either?" questioned Ino in a slightly nervous tone.

Naruto chuckled lightly, "Nope…."

Sakura was surprised at how calm he was during this whole ordeal. It seemed to her that he had grown an impressive amount, but was still the same old, joking, fun loving person.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, whispered something to Tsunade who went wide eyed, then he proceeded to join the ranks of the other Konoha shinobi.

"What's wrong Lady Tsunade?" questioned Hinata.

"Um…nothing's wrong….except for what's going on right here…" she stated, trying to regain her composure.

As Naruto got back to where Hahari was standing, Tenko appeared behind them in an instant, "Very well." He stated in a cold voice.

Naruto grinned, "Finally…" And with that, Tenko grabbed Naruto by the arm and neck and threw him quite a distance away. Naruto landed on his feet and slid for a few yards before coming to a stop, then vanishing and appearing before Tenko with his knee making contact with the enemies gut. Tenko was knocked back and fell to his knees, spitting up a small amount of blood as he clenched his stomach.

Smiling, Tenko stood up and wiped the dripping blood from his chin. "Just as I had expected…". Naruto smiled and motioned for Hahari to take over.

"YES!! Thanks Naruto!" she yelled in excitement. Sakura looked at her, then back to Naruto and felt a bit strange.

Hahari took out a ninjato, similar to the one Naruto had used earlier. She smiled and raised it to her face, glancing at her intended victim with the steel between her eyes. "Anything you want to tell us before you…well….you know…".

Tenko laughed, "Nope….because I'm not really planning on…Ghaahh." He yelled out as he felt a seething pain in his back. Hahari was standing behind him, her ninjato dripping. Tenko coughed a few times, then fell to his knees, and eventually, collapsed entirely.

Hahari wiped off her blade and re-sheathed it, turned around, and walked back to her group.

"Well…that still wasn't as fun as I thought it would be…" she said jokingly.

"Always thinking of fighting…." Stated the cloaked guy, "It's not good for you're…." He began before getting cut off by Hahari. "Yeah, yeah….'It's not good for your soul…'" she said mockingly as she waved her hands in the air.

Naruto chuckled, "Anyways…you do realize that he isn't dead…right Hahari?" he asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about…he's clearly dead…" she said as she pointed to his blatantly immobile corpse.

"What's he talking about…that guy looks pretty dead to me…" stated Kiba.

Gamakishi sighed, "Just watch….I'm sick of explaining stuff."

Everyone frowned at his laziness and turned their attention back to Naruto.

"Are you almost done playing dead?" he questioned, only to get the sound of the wind for a response.

"Naruto…give it up…he's not gonna say anything…he's dea…." She said as she noticed Tenko appear in front of her, facing Naruto.

"That was lame of you…sending your teammate to fight when it was your battle…"

Naruto shrugged, "She gets antsy when she doesn't do anything…" he stated in a relaxed tone. Sakura began to get that strange feeling again, but she tried to ignore it. Tsunade noticed her and thought she looked a bit off, but didn't raise the subject, at least, not for the time being.

"Besides….what's the point of having a team if you don't behave like one?" he asked, "Look what it got you and your partner." He joked.

"Laugh it up…he might be dead, but I'm not…so I see no problem…" he laughed.

"It's people like you that I don't like…people who don't have any respect for others, not even their own 'friends'." He said, getting a bit more serious.

"Friend…heh…he was no friend, he was just a pawn sent with me on orders…"

"Whatever…it's still pathetic the way you view others…" he smiled, "Kojin…why don't you take a shot at him?" questioned Naruto as he looked at his cloaked teammate.

He shrugged, "Yeah…why not…" And with that, he took off his cloak to reveal a similar outfit to his two teammates; only, he wore a mask, only revealing his face above the center of the nose.

"So…it's gonna take all three of you just to take me on?" asked Tenko, getting a bit cocky.

"No…I'll finish this right now." Stated Kojin as he brought his hands up to about eye level, twisted his hands so his fingers were facing each other, and performed a seal. Just then, the ground under Tenko began to turn red, and all of a sudden, a burst of fire came from under the earth.

"What the hell??" yelled Kiba and Ino as they watched on in shock.

Gamakichi laughed, "If you think that's something…you'll be impressed when Naruto gets serious."

Almost at the same time, everyone thought, 'He was just playing around?'

As the fire subsided, Tenko stood, charred skin and all, but appeared to be unaffected. "That's it…come on…" he chuckled as his skin began to steam. Naruto smiled, "Okay…so…are you going to actually try now?"

Everyone, including Gamakichi, Hahari, and Kojin looked at him in surprise, "I guess I could…but I don't want to hurt you guys to bad….actually…yeah, I do." He said in a menacing tone of voice.

He performed a jutsu and disappeared, no one, not even Kakashi's sharingan or Hinata's byakugan could find him. Naruto stood there, closed his eyes, and smiled.

"Not bad….I haven't seen that jutsu before…" he stated as he twisted his foot a bit to his left. Just then, Tenko appeared out of nowhere and went right for Naruto's neck with a fist full of chakra. However, his plan didn't turn out to his liking, for Naruto had moved too quickly for his anticipation. Now behind his assailant, Naruto grabbed him by the right arm and leg and threw him into the air. Before Tenko could recover, Naruto was up by his side and a powerful kick sent the Akatsuki member flying, smashing through multiple trees along his way.

He struggled to get up, coughing up blood as he managed to stand, "Not bad kid….not bad….but, let's see how you deal with this….." he stated as he performed a summoning jutsu.

Two large men appeared behind him, both wielding large claymores. "These are my slaves, my personal bodyguards if you would…" he grinned.

Naruto, and everyone else for that matter, thought, 'How does he expect them to help at all, with weapons like that, they would be way to slow to do anything.'

Before anyone had a chance to blink, one of the guys appeared at Naruto's rear, claymore in the air, coming down at him quicker than thought possible. Luckily for him, he managed to sidestep the attack in time, however, the guy didn't hesitate to swipe the large sword to his left, almost decapitating Naruto.

Naruto jumped back, but the other guy appeared behind him and swung for his torso. The blond shinobi was able to dodge that attack also, but just barely. Then, the two guys vanished and reappeared by Tenko's side. No one could believe how fast the two guys were.

"How was that for a warm-up?" he questioned maniacally.

Naruto, breathing heavily, grinned, "It was alright…they're way faster than I could have ever imagined…"

"You might want to be careful with these guys Naruto…." warned Hahari, getting serious.

Naruto glanced at her, "Yeah…might be a good idea…"

Sakura was worried, she knew Naruto was strong, but these guys seemed to be giving him a hard time. "Hey…Gamakichi….do you think Naruto will be able to beat these guys alone?" questioned Shikamaru.

Kakashi interjected, "He shouldn't have any trouble…I think he's just toying with them…"

Shikamaru turned to him, "You really think so?"

Kakashi nodded and turned his attention back to the fight.

"Maybe you should just end this….I'm tired…" stated Kojin.

"Well maybe if you got more than three hours of sleep every night…you wouldn't have that issue…" scolded Hahari as she bonked him on the head. Kojin merely mumbled something under his breath.

Naruto chuckled, "I guess I could…I'm sort of hungry myself…" He turned his attention to the big guy to the right of Tenko. The guy noticed, so he acted, appearing right behind him, he swung his claymore, but Naruto was gone. The guy jolted straight up, then passed out.

"What the hell?" questioned Ino.

Kakashi's eye widened, "He…he actually learned that?" he asked Gamakichi.

The toad smiled wide, "Yup…he didn't do it on his own though…he had a bit of help…"

"From who?"

"….maybe you'll meet her someday soon…who knows…" stated the toad.

Tenko was looking around in confusion; he had no idea what had just happened, or where his target had gone. Then, the other big guy fell to his face, again, with no evidence of what had happened.

Naruto appeared a few yards away from Tenko, smile on his face. "I'm assuming you won't tell me anything about the other members of Akatsuki…"

Tenko smiled, "Nope…actually…I will tell you of one person I know of…I believe you know him…all to well as a matter of fact. Uchiha Sasuke."

All of the Konoha shinobi gasped, besides Tsunade and Kakashi, "That's a lie…" yelled Ino.

"Is it?" questioned a voice from behind; Tenko had appeared behind her, kunai drawn.

She closed her eyes, fearful of what was to come, but Naruto had pushed her out of the way and caught his hand.

"What happened to not straying from your opponent…isn't that what you just told me a few minutes ago?" he questioned jokingly.

Tenko scoffed, "Whatever…"

Naruto held him up and punched him right in the face. Then, Tenko got up, about to strike, however, Naruto gave him a chakra packed palm to the ribs before he could do anything, effectively knocking him down. He tried to get up again, but passed out in the process.

"Kojin…" called Naruto as he stood over the unconscious Akatsuki member.

"Right…" said his teammate as he walked up to Tenko, performed some hand signs, and placed his palm on the Akatsuki's forehead.

"Well…now that that's over with…we need to talk to you about our reason for being here…" stated Gamakichi as he turned to Tsunade.

The hokage raised a brow in confusion, "You mean…you didn't come here to help out with this?"

"Nope…it's just luck that we showed up at the same time…"

"….we would have been annihilated…" stated Kiba.

"Most likely…" stated Kakashi as he started to walk up to Naruto.

"Wow…you're almost as tall as me…" noticed Kakashi out loud as he stopped at his former student's side.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, noticing the small height difference, he grinned, "Yeah…I'll say…"

"So…what have you been doing this whole time….you've surpassed all of our expectations tenfold…." questioned Kakashi.

Naruto grinned again, "Well…first off, I did a lot more sage training…then I met those two," he said as he motioned towards Kojin and Hahari, who seemed to be performing a jutsu on Tenko, "we trained together, they actually taught me a few new tricks…and finally…let's just say…I met someone I never thought I would meet…"

Kakashi nodded, however, in his mind, he couldn't help but think of the fight that took place only moments ago. Naruto had used a technique he thought was lost in the past, but somehow, he learned about it, and mastered it.

"Naruto…hey Naruto…" called Hahari as she jogged up to him. "Next time…let me fight some more, hmm?" she said with a pout.

Naruto chuckled, "You've said that like eight times already…"

"Yeah…that doesn't change the fact that I want to fight more…you always hog the action…" she accused.

"Naruto did pretty good for himself…she's kinda cute…" stated Kiba.

Right after he said that a fist came flying down on his head, "Ow….what was that for?" he questioned.

The culprit, Ten-Ten, whispered, "Not in front of her…" as she nudged her head towards Naruto's former teammate, who looked a bit down, ever so slightly.

"Oh…woops…" he stated as he turned his attention back to Naruto. Everyone walked over to him and his new friends as a group. However, just as they were about to greet him, his head jolted up, taking a look at the sky, he quickly shot Gamakichi a glance.

"Naruto….are you okay?" questioned Kakashi, noticing his behavior.

"Yeah…fine…" he said, in an almost distraught tone of voice.

"You better hurry…" stated Gamakichi.

Naruto looked at the ground and mumbled under his breath, but loud enough that everyone could hear him, "Almost there…"

"Almost whe…" began Shikamaru, but Naruto had disappeared, only a small dust cloud remained.

"What the hell?" questioned Kiba, "We come over to say hi…and he vanishes…."

"It has nothing to do with that….he was called upon by one of the council members of the League." explained the toad, then he mumbled something to Kakashi, then to Tsunade.

The hokage nodded, "Okay everyone…we've all had a rough day, and it's almost dark…go home and rest…there will be a meeting tomorrow…everyone here at the moment must attend."

"Gamakichi…when exactly is he due back?" she asked.

"Probably around noon tomorrow…" he replied.

"Then it's settled…everyone meet in the council chamber at noon tomorrow…don't be late…." She said in a serious tone, "That's all…"

And with that, everyone looked at each other, wondering what just happened, but shrugged it off and went back to their homes to get some well deserved rest.

--------

"Is all of this understood completely Naruto?"

"Yes master…"

"Good…then go…and good luck."

"Thank you, master…."

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Okay...Okay...sorry to all of you who were waiting on me to write another chapter...I kinda forgot about it.... my bad.

As always...reviews are appreciated, good or bad.

And I know the way I set it up might be a tad confusing, like the way I just randomly interject someones conversation into another persons, then back to the original conversation, but you should be able to understand it...I hope.

I'll try to start updating regularly, probably once a week...maybe more if I don't get tired of writing to quickly.

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	4. Briefing

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_Briefing_

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Sakura was in bed, trying to get some rest after the battle. However, she couldn't manage to settle her mind. First off, she was excited that her friend was coming back, she didn't know how long he would be there, but at least he would be in Konoha for a few days. Second, she couldn't stop thinking about Naruto's new friends, specifically, the female of the group. She sighed and turned to her side, looking out her window at the nearly full moon. Lastly, she was having a hard time believing one of the things said earlier that day. When Tenko said that Sasuke had joined Akatsuki, she almost laughed at how ridiculous it was. But when she noticed Naruto didn't react in a negative way, she figured, maybe…just maybe it was true. Why would Naruto stand by idly while someone said something like that about his old friend, unless he already knew about it. By this time, it was almost three in the morning. She thought about the meeting tomorrow and smiled, after all, Gamakichi told Kakashi that _he_ should be back by then.

----

It was quiet as the room started to fill with shinobi. Tsunade had been sitting in the hokage's seat, and to her left were the elders, including Danzo, and on her right was Shizune. The room was like a courtroom, with multiple rows of seating in front of the main podium.

The first shinobi there, other than the officials, was Neji, who took a seat up front. Next came Ino and Kiba who sat in one of the middle rows. After them, Lee, Ten-ten, Shino, and Hinata. There was a few minutes of silence before the next group came. The door opened slowly and in came Shikamaru, a few ANBU, Kakashi, and Sai.

The clock almost struck noon when the whole room filled with a loud voice, "Why do we need to go….we aren't even from here…"

Gamakichi could be seen entering the room, followed by Kojin and Hahari, "Because…"

Hahari mumbled something under her breath, but didn't take the argument any further. They took their seats in the back. After them, Yamato entered and sat up front, followed by Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka. Also attending the meeting was Hiashi Hyuga, Guy, Kurenai, and Choji.

The door opened and Sakura made her way in, sitting up front by Yamato and Kakashi. It was obvious that she didn't get much sleep the night before.

Sakura turned around to look at the back of the room, that's when she noticed Hahari looking at her, a wide grin on the new girls face. She quickly looked back to her front and clenched her fists.

Tsunade looked at everyone in front of her, making sure everyone was there that needed to be, "Okay….as you all know, Konoha has been having some difficulties supplying a sufficient force of shinobi for missions. This has left us week at a time of vulnerability. The two Akatsuki who attacked us yesterday…apparently were of a low level compared to some of the others in the organization…that could pose a problem…" she said worriedly.

One of the elders cleared their throat, "Indeed…even the ANBU and, no offence, you, Lady Tsunade, couldn't ward them off. I'm not entirely sure how this came about; I was under the impression that we had some of the strongest shinobi."

"That's very true…" interjected Gamakichi, "However…Akatsuki…." he cleared his throat, "They found a way to unleash the true potential of their shinobi."

Tsunade quirked a brow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The toad sighed, obviously tired of having to explain everything, he looked to his left lazily, "Kojin…"

The stated shinobi sat up and explained, "All shinobi reach a point where they really can't get any powerful, they might be able to learn new jutsu, sure, but for the most part, they aren't becoming more powerful….There is a way, however, that one can increase this limit exponentially."

Almost everyone's eyes widened, "I suppose it makes sense…how else could they be that strong…." stated one of the ANBU.

"Now I see how Naruto got so strong…" said Kiba, a bit jealous.

Shikaku, obviously intrigued, asked, "So…how do you go about unleashing this potential?"

"Quite simply really…you just –"

"Don't even think about it…" yelled Hahari.

"It probably wouldn't be the best idea…" stated Gamakichi.

Kiba stood up and looked at the back of the room, "What do you mean…how wouldn't it be good to become stronger…then we could defend the village easier." He yelled.

Hahari stood up and also started to yell, "You have no Ide-"

"Calm down you two…" the calm voice coming from behind the doors just as they swung open.

Naruto walked in and swung himself over one of the benches, sitting on the headrest, with his feet resting on the seat. Everyone looked at the blond shinobi as he took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. Sakura only glanced at him before turning her attention forward, fists slightly clenched.

"Easy for you to say…you already have—"began Kiba, but was cut off by Hahari, who had a pained expression on her face.

"To acquire the power only requires a simple seal…and that you spill your own blood…a lot of it….then, the body rapidly repairs itself, however, while this is happening, the jutsu somehow manages to trick the mind into expanding your chakra reserves, and subsequently, the strength of your jutsu…" she explained.

"Then why don't we all do it…if it helps out that much…" questioned Ino.

Hahari looked to the ground, "The technique reduces your lifespan…"

"For that much power….wouldn't it be worth it?" asked Choji.

"….on average…whenever someone uses that jutsu…they live for about five years…ten at the most."

Everyone gulped, that much of a lifespan cutoff was extreme for a power increase.

Sakura's eyes widened, she raised her head and looked back at Naruto, who was still looking at the ceiling, "Then…that means…" she began, but didn't finish.

Naruto didn't turn his gaze away from the ceiling, and merely stated, "No…I haven't used that…" in a calm, relaxed tone.

Everyone was slightly stunned; it was hard to believe that he was as strong as he was without the aid of this jutsu. Sakura sighed in relief and relaxed a bit, still looking back at Naruto, as was everyone else. She felt a bit strange, the way he hadn't turned his attention to her made her feel, unnoticed.

"The jutsu is a class one forbidden jutsu, and for good reason…I don't really plan on using it any time soon…and I hope none of you do either…" he said blankly, returning his head to eye level, however, his gaze was now fixed on the hokage.

Tsunade smiled, "So big shot…how exactly have you become so powerful?"

Naruto sighed, "Well…that's a trade secret…he shot a glance at Hahari, Kojin, and Gamakichi, "But…I have permission to let you guys in on a few secrets…" he stated in a slightly happy tone.

"Really…that would be quite useful in a time like this." The hokage responded. "Back to the matters at hand, Akatsuki is a big problem…but that's not all we need to worry about…Kakashi tells me it's true…" she stated in a grim tone. Everyone looked at her in confusion, Naruto merely frowned slightly.

"Yeah… it's true…and I'm not really sure why." He said, regaining his calmness.

"In that case…Uchiha Sasuke might be more of a problem than we thought."

And with that, everyone knew they were talking about what was said the day before, about Saskue being in league with the Akatsuki. Sakura was surprised, and slightly saddened at this news, she also felt a bit of rage towards the news, but kept herself quiet.

"I wouldn't worry about him too much…at least…not now anyways…he doesn't really follow orders well…as you know…" he said jokingly, "what we really need to worry about is finding out more about this inner circle of the Akatsuki…oh…by the way guys," he said, referring to his new team, "Toza said that Zeke was accepted…maybe he'll get promoted quickly and be able to tell us more about it."

"That's good news." replied Gamakichi.

"Who's Zeke?" asked Shikamaru.

"Zeke is a member of the League who was trying to get into Akatsuki to try and spy…I guess he was successful, so now we have an inside source of information…" Naruto answered, scratching his head in the process.

Shikaku cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the room, "By League, I assume you mean the League of Overseers?"

"Yup…" replied the blond.

"Huh…interesting…." was the only response the elder Nara had as he turned his attention to the hokage, "Lady Tsunade…I wanted to ask you what you had in mind for the Sentru?" he questioned.

Naruto chuckled, "You know, it's funny you would mention that…Tenzo also told me to mention something about them to you…"

"Who…exactly is Tenzo….and what did he want you to tell us?" asked the hokage, now very interested in what he had to say.

"Tenzo is one of the oldest members of the league…he holds the highest position…the speaker of the council. He said that Sentru is making its move very…very soon, and that the fire country should be on high alert."

"Wait…what the hell is the Sentru?" questioned Kiba.

Tsunade looked at Shikaku and the other Jonin, who all nodded, "Well…considering the circumstances, I suppose you can be told….The Sentru as an organization of criminals…not ordinary criminals mind you…they have some of the most cunning and powerful shinobi in their ranks. They are not to be taken lightly…They kill for pleasure…and…they have actually taken control of about thirty percent of the fire country…the only reason the majority of the country doesn't know about it is because they kill EVERYONE…plus…the officials of the country don't really want anyone knowing about it."

This was all new information to the chunin in the room, it was quite intimidating, but everyone remained composed.

"Naruto…I assume the League has had a few run-ins with them?" asked the hokage.

Naruto's face was stern, "Yeah…a few." he said in a distant tone. "Oh yeah…before I forget…I was also told to tell you that this region should be prepared for something big…very big."

"What do you mean?" asked Kakashi, sensing the seriousness in his former students tone.

Naruto said nothing; "Naruto?" questioned Hahari.

He looked up, "Well…very few people know this…but…a few hundred years ago, a group of shinobi formed an alliance and a subsequent village on the east coast of the continent…unfortunately for them, a great storm caused an earthquake that broke the village, and a large portion of land beyond it, off from the main landmass…It began to sink. However…these shinobi were determined to save their precious village from destruction. A justu was used that formed a sort of air bubble around the village so that the people could breathe, and another jutsu was used to infuse the bubble with a special chakra that would pull oxygen from the water so the air wouldn't become polluted. Also…yet another jutsu was used to allow the people to be able to survive on pure oxygen….in all…the three founding members of the village were killed as a result of their jutsus'."

Everyone was awestruck, this information was hardly believable, yet, Naruto was one hundred percent sincere with his speech.

He continued, "This village….they think that they have ascended to another level of humanity…they feel that they are the hand of the gods….and as such, they feel that we are nothing, less than nothing. Apparently, a prophecy was foretold at the time of the villages founding. It was said that when a meteor crashes into the ocean over the village, it is a sign that the gods want them to perform….a 'purification', if you would. The complete inhalation of all humanity, other than themselves of course. There lies the problem…two weeks ago, a meteor crashed above the location of the village…"

Tsunade cleared her throat before she spoke, "This isn't good….Do you know how many of them there are…how strong they are…and if they can be negotiated with?"

"The last time our sources reported, there were about fourteen hundred people living there, and around five hundred shinobi…all of which could pose a problem to any of us here." stated Naruto.

Everyone gasped; "Even you?" questioned Lee.

"Yup…I'm no exception…and to answer your last question granny…they think they're on a mission from the gods…negotiation is not an option."

Despite the obvious annoyance at Naruto's 'granny' comment, Tsunade thanked him and decided to dismiss the group until the following day.

As everyone began to exit the room, they shook Naruto's hand and said their hellos, considering there hadn't been time before that. He was glad he was home, glad that he could see all of his friends again. He made plans to hang out with some of his friends later on that day, but for now, he had to talk to Tsunade about something.

Kakashi walked up to him, "Well Naruto…looks like you might be my teacher for a change…this will be interesting…"

Naruto chuckled, "Can't wait…Could you start getting plans ready for some afternoon sessions…you could probably split the shinobi into four groups, Gamakichi, Hahari, Kojin and myself can all train the same thing."

"Sure…I'll get right on that." His former sensei stated as he walked out the door, Naruto knew that he would probably forget until later on that day.

Sakura, besides Naruto and Tsunade, was the last one in the room. She walked up to Naruto slowly, who was facing the entrance.

As she walked up to him, she started to feel weak, as if she didn't have the strength to talk to him, but she forced herself, "Um…Naruto..." she whispered, trying to gain his attention.

Naruto turned around, "Hey Sakura…long time no see." He said, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Yeah…I'll say…." She chuckled. She took a good look at his face, it hadn't changed much, well, except for the fact that he now looked as though he could pass for a twenty year old, you could easily tell it was him.

"So…how's life been the past few years?" he asked.

Sakura sighed, "Well…to be honest…they've been pretty boring." And it was true. She hung out with her friends now and then, but she didn't seem to get the enjoyment out of life that she did a few years ago. "How about you…looks like you made some new friends…"

Naruto smiled, "Yeah…we met a while back, and we never really split up…they joined the league with me, trained with me…to be honest…I have no idea where I would be right now if I hadn't met them…probably dead in a ditch somewhere." He said jokingly.

Sakura chuckled, something she didn't really do much these days. Seeing as it was so rare, Tsunade took notice.

"Well…Sorry to brush you off like this…but I really need to talk to granny Tsunade for a few minutes….maybe we can get together later and talk." He suggested.

Sakura smiled, "Yeah…sounds good."

As she left the council chamber, she shut the doors quietly and walked off, only, she snuck back to the doors after a few minutes.

"So Naruto…what did you want to talk to me about that was so important?" the hokage asked.

Naruto sat down in the front row, "Well…it's complicated…. I know it won't be high on your priority list…but…" he began.

"Spit it out…" ordered Tsunade, noticeably getting impatient.

Naruto sighed, "I was wondering if you could let Hahari and Kojin live here…and become Konoha shinobi…they don't have a home to go to…no family…and I don't know where else they could go…" he said, relaxing on the bench and looking at the ceiling again.

Tsunade took notice of his new habit, "Why do you keep looking at the ceiling like that?" she asked.

Naruto sighed again, "I don't know…it's not just the ceiling…it's what's beyond that…" he said, confusing the hokage…and the spy on the other side of the doors.

Tsunade didn't push the matter, "I can give your friends temporary permits to live in the village…however, it will take time to arrange for them to live here officially. Also…I'm not sure if they will be allowed to join the ranks of our shinobi…if you trust them…then I trust them…but I don't think the elders would agree with me…I'll make sure to mention it though."

Naruto smiled, "Thank you…" he yawned, noticing how tired he was, considering he hadn't slept in a few days, "I think I'm gonna go take a nap before I meet up with Shikamaru and the gang." He stated as he sat up and started walking to the door, waving goodbye.

"Um…Naruto…" began the hokage, "There's a slight problem…Your apartment building was demolished to make room for another building…and ever since the village was destroyed…the crater was allowed to fill with water as a sort of memorial….leaving only a small amount of space for development...you don't have a home…"

Naruto sighed, "Yeah…I noticed that there weren't as many buildings on my way here….So…is there any places I could rent?" he asked.

"Well…not really…many of the apartment complexes are still being built…and there really isn't anywhere else to stay…" she sighed, then her eyes opened as she realized something, "Actually…I just remembered, Sakura owns a two bedroom apartment, and she's the only one that lives there…maybe she would let you stay in the spare room for a while." She suggested.

From behind the doors Sakura was a bit shocked. It was true that she had her own apartment, and it was true that she had a spare room, but for Tsunade to bring it up like that was a bit surprising, and embarrassing. But at the same time, she felt something that she had been feeling only recently, more precisely, whenever Naruto was around.

"No…I shouldn't trouble her with that…I'll just ask Shikamaru or someone if I can crash on their couch or something…besides…I still need to find a place for Hahari and Kojin to stay." At those words, Sakura wasnt exactly sad, but, she was a bit bumbed out you could say.

"Well, if you insist…and if I remember correctly, there are two rooms at the hospital that aren't ready to be used for patients that your friends could use for a few days."

"Okay…sounds good…I'll talk to you at tomorrows meeting then." He said as he walked out of the room.

"Oh Naruto….don't be late tomorrow…" she said teasingly.

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah, yeah…."

As he opened the door, Sakura held her breath, she had nowhere to run, the hallway was quite long and with no other doors to hide behind.

"Oh….hey Naruto…I was just heading back to talk to Tsunade-sama for a minute." She explained.

Naruto smiled, "Right…I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Sakura…come here." ordered the hokage. Sakura shut the doors and walked over to her master.

"Yes?" she questioned, trying to put her most innocent face on.

"Listening in to other people's conversations isn't very nice." The hokage teased.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Wha…what are you talking about? I wasn't listening in to anythign..." she asked, playing dumb.

Tsunade chuckled, "Sure, sure….just make it less obvious next time…."

Sakura scrunched her face in frustration at her teacher as she turned around and headed out the door.

----

In the shadows of the woods, right outside of Konoha, a secretive meeting was taking place.

In a quiet voice, a young woman spoke, "So…he want's us…or, more specifically…you…to kill him?"

The blond man looked at the ground, a slight pain present in his eyes, "Yes…."

The young woman frowned, she didn't know all the details, but she knew that the person he had to kill was close to him.

"I'm sorry that you were ordered to do this…" said another man, about the same age as the other two.

The blond clenched his fists, "I'm sorry too…"

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Well...once again...I'm not to sure about this chapter...they always seem better in my head...

Anyways, reviews are always appreciated, good or bad.

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	5. Reacquainting

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_Reacquainting_

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As planned, Naruto made his way to one of the new restaurants in the village to have an early dinner with some of his old friends. He was happy that he would get to catch up on old times but was a bit tense considering everything that was going on at the moment.

As he walked up to one of the outside tables at the restaurant, he was greeted by Choji and took a seat next to him and Shikamaru. Kiba was sitting at the opposite side of the table.

Naruto smiled as he took a look around, "Where's Sai…I thought he was coming too?"

"Right here…" stated the shinobi as he came from behind and took a seat next to Kiba.

"Looks like we're all here." said Shikamaru as they took up their menus and began to think of something to eat.

When the waiter came over, Kiba was about to order, however, Naruto interjected, "We'll have the all you can eat for five." Everyone looked at him, the all you can eat at this restaurant was quite expensive, and for five people….

Naruto looked at all of them with a puzzled expression, "What?" he questioned.

"You do realize how much that would cost?" asked the waiter.

"A lot…" stated the blond as he leaned back in his chair and yawned.

The waiter raised a brow, knowing that many of the villagers were now living on small wages form day to day because of the cost of repair for the village. Not many people made such an expensive order.

As he was taking the menu's from the group, he realized who the blond shinobi was. He cleared his throat, "As you wish…" is all he said as he began to walk to the kitchen.

"Um…Naruto…we don't have that mu--" began Shikamaru.

"It's on me…don't worry about it." Naruto insisted.

Shikamaru sighed, "Well…if you don't mind my asking, how do you have all this money to be paying for something like this?"

Naruto smiled, "Well…when you basically live on the road for three years…you don't have bills or other costs, other than food and occasionally some clothes…" he explained.

After a few seconds if silence, Shikamaru decided to bring up another topic, "So…how long have you been with this, 'Hahari'?" he asked, a slight grin present on his face.

Naruto turned his head to his friend and chuckled, "Me…with her…," he laughed out loud, "No…she's more like a sister…that's all." He explained.

Kiba smiled, "Yeah…sure…"

"No really…we were kinda seeing each other at one point, but that was a while ago…now where friends, and Kojin…he's like a brother for the most part…" he said, a bright smile present.

----

Sakura was walking down the street when she noticed Ino sitting at one of the outdoor cafes. She walked up to her and took a seat.

"Hey Sakura…what's up?" questioned the bond.

Sakura smiled, "Not much…I was just walking around…it's boring around here…" she complained.

Ino chuckled, "Yeah…tell me about it…" she agreed, "Oh yeah…I meant to ask…what do you think about Naruto…he seems a lot more reserved now…and that body…" she stated suggestively. Sakura felt herself getting a little warm and she turned her head away from her friend.

"Yeah…I guess he does seem more reserved…"

Ino noticed Hahari walking down the street so she called over to her, "Hey…Hahari is it…can you come here for a minute…" she said, motioning to one of the nearby chairs.

As the girl walked over and took a seat, Sakura noticed that feeling of jealousy come back.

"What's up?" asked the girl.

"Just wanted to talk…" explained Ino, a smile present on her face.

Hahari quirked a brow, "Oh…and what did you want to talk about?"

Ino's smile grew a bit wider as she looked at Sakura, "How long have you been seeing Naruto?" she asked. Both Hahari and Sakura's eyes widened slightly.

Hahari started to laugh, "We aren't…well…we were for a while, but that was like a year and a half ago…." Sakura strangely felt relieved, like a small weight was lifted off her back, but at the same time, she still felt a bit jealous.

Ino smiled, "Oh…and how was he in—"she began, but was stopped when she got bonked on the head by a certain pink haired woman.

Hahari started to laugh, "Well…I guess someone likes Mr. Uzumaki…"

Sakura's cheeks turned a slight tinge of pink, "What…that's not it…I was just stopping her from being a pervert is all." She explained.

Both Ino and Hahari grinned, "Okay…if you say so…but don't think I didn't see the way you looked at him during the fight, and in the council room…" stated the orange haired woman.

Sakura's blush turned a few shades darker as she tried to persuade the two girls otherwise, "No…I was just happy to see him…he was one of my best friends." She explained.

Ino sighed, "Whatever…anyways…Hahari, where are you from?"

The woman looked down a bit, an expression devoid of emotion present on her face, "Well…I honestly don't know…I was an orphane…and I was brought up by quite a few different groups…so I really don't have a family…." She explained, then a warm smile formed, "Well…that is, until a few years ago…when I met Naruto, he was just traveling around with no real direction in mind. I didn't know anything about the shinobi arts before I met him…then, one day I was walking around a small village—"

_----_

_Hahari was walking down the street when she found some money on the sidewalk. She smiled and bent down to pick it up, just then, a group of men came up to her._

"_Hey girly…why don't you give us that money…" one of the men ordered more than asked._

_Hahari brought the money to her back, "No…I need it for food…" she explained._

_One of the men scoffed, "I don't care…hand it over…or we'll take it from you…" he warned._

"_And that's not all we'll take…" suggested one of the men on the side as they began to get closer to her._

_She closed her eyes and shoed them away with her hand, "No…just leave me alone…" she pleaded._

"_Yeah…okay…." chuckled one of the guys as he grabbed her shoulder. Just then, someone bumped into the guys shoulder. "Hey…watch where you're going…" he yelled, but the guy just kept walking. "Hey…" yelled the guy, who seemed to be the leader of the group._

_The guy who had bumped into his shoulder stopped walking away and slowly turned around. He had a grim expression as he began to walk up to the guy._

"_Can I help you?" he asked._

_They leader of the gang shoved Hahari to the ground which made her screech. "Yeah…you could actually…" he said as he snapped his finger, two of his men grabbed the guy by the arms, holding him still. The leader began to punch the guy in the stomach and ribs. "Had enough wise guy?" sarcastically asked the leader._

_The guy only laughed, which made the leader mad, causing him to start kicking the guy, but his laughs only got louder. Hahari sat on the ground; confused as to why this guy was laughing as he was being beat up._

_All of a sudden, the leader of the thugs was being held by the throat. The guy had taken out all of his men in a flash. "You shouldn't be such an ass…." stated the guy as he let the leader go, who decided to run away in fear._

_The guy walked up to Hahari and held out a hand, "You okay?" he asked, a warm smile now present on his face. Hahari grabbed his hand, allowing him to help her up. She gulped, "Yeah…thanks to you…"_

_The guy chuckled, "Well hey…some of us have to be somewhat decent…." _

_Hahari laughed as she brushed off her clothes, "So…what's your name?" she asked._

_They guy yawned, "Naruto…" he said while scratching his head._

_----_

Hahari smiled, "After that, I asked if I could go with him, wherever it was he was going, considering I had nowhere to be, and nothing to do…he said why not, so I've been with him ever since." She explained happily.

Both Ino and Sakura smiled at her story, Sakura knew Naruto would be the one to do something like that. "Hey Hahari…what do you say to lunch tomorrow…after the meeting that is?" asked Sakura.

Hahari quirked a brow, "You sure?" she asked.

Sakura smiled, "Yeah…why not?"

Hahari also smiled, "I guess…sounds like a plan…"

"Finally…another girl to hang out with in this village….not many worth talking to around here…" stated Ino, who was obviously happy to have another girlfriend to talk to, as was Sakura.

----

Night came to Konoha along with a nice little storm. Naruto was walking down the street, hands in his pockets, looking up at the clouds. Sakura was just heading home from Ino's house. She had spent some time with her old friend, and her new friend, Hahari.

As she walked into the street she cringed. The rain was cold, with every drop came a chill that felt like a needle piercing the skin. She tried to cover her head with her hands as best she could but to no avail. She sighed and started walking home.

When she was about halfway home, she was passing an alleyway when out of the corner of her eye; she spotted a familiar shape walking down the street on the other side of the alley.

"Naruto?" she called over, the person stopped and turned their attention to the pink haired woman. After no reply, Sakura made her way over to the person. "That is you…where are you going?" she questioned.

Naruto shrugged, "I have no idea to be honest…" he replied in a casual tone.

Sakura quirked a brow, "So your just walking around…that's what your saying?" she asked, almost sarcastically.

Naruto chuckled; "Yeah…basically…no one really has any space for me to stay…so I figured…" he began.

Sakura leaned her head in a bit in anticipation for him to continue, "And?"

Naruto smiled, "I don't know where I was going with that…" he laughed.

Sakura brought her palm to her forehead and chuckled a little. "So…you don't have anywhere to stay?" she asked, a bit nervous.

Naruto sighed, "Nope…" he then began to walk down the street. Sakura walked with him on his left as the rain really started to come down.

Sakura cleared her throat, "Well…you could…" she began, but her throat seemed to swell, so she swallowed hard, "You could stay in my extra room…If you wanted…" she suggested quietly.

Naruto turned his head to her for a second, then returned his attention to the street ahead of him, "No…I wouldn't want to—"

"No really…it wouldn't be a problem…" she insisted, noticing how desperate it probably sounded. Good thing for her, Naruto didn't notice her tone.

He sighed, "Well…if you really don't mind…I would appreciate it…" he said in thanks.

Sakura smiled, "Yeah…no one sleeps in there so it's fine with me…just don't make a mess…" she warned jokingly. Naruto chuckled, following her down the street to her apartment.

When they finally got to her door, they were drenched. Naruto watched Sakura unlock her door, her dark red shirt clinging to her skin. Her short dark red skirt folding gracefully over her curves, and the way the water droplets formed on her long, smooth, toned legs, Naruto found himself staring at his former teammate.

Sakura turned around, causing Naruto to snap out of his slight daze, "What is it?" she asked, a small smile on her face noticing his expression.

Naruto cleared his throat, "Nothing…I was just thinking…" he responded.

Sakura turned her head and entered her apartment, smile growing wider as she thought, 'Sure, sure….you were just thinking…'

She walked into the center of the main room, pointing to her left, "That's my room, and over there is where you'll be staying…the kitchen's right in there, and the bathroom is there…" she explained, pointing to each of the rooms.

By this time it was almost nine at night, "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed…" she explained in a yawn.

Naruto nodded and walked over to a comfortable looking chair in the corner of the room. He sat down to wait for her to finish in the shower so he could take one as well. He laid his head back and started to gaze at the ceiling.

After about fifteen minutes, the bathroom door opened, and a relaxed Sakura made her way into the main room. To her surprise, Naruto was in one of her chairs, staring at the ceiling.

"Naruto?" she questioned. Said shinobi turned his attention to the woman, and almost immediately felt a blush coming on. She was standing there with her wet hair draped over her shoulder and her towel wrapped tightly around her well developed body. Not that he was staring at her; she was just embarrassed that he was looking at her while she was only in a towel, which caused her to blush a bit.

"Oh…ah…sorry, I was just…" he began.

Sakura smiled, "Ah…whatever…I'm headed to bed…" and with that, she walked to her room and said her goodnights.

Naruto scratched his head and stood up, he then proceeded to walk into the bathroom and take a quick shower. When he was done, he looked at himself in the mirror, turning a bit, he looked at the tattoo on his left shoulder blade, then his gaze moved to the one on his lower back…he looked at that one with a grim expression. After a few minutes, he ventured into his room and looked around. It was a standard room with a decent sized bed, some dressers, a closet, a bookcase, and a desk. He put on some boxers and a pair of pants and laid himself on the bed. Bringing his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes, sighed, and eventually fell asleep.

-----

When Sakura woke up the next morning, she realized that she had slept better than normal. Usually, she wakes up almost every hour, on the hour. However, she could only recall waking up once or twice last night.

She sat up in her bed and stretched her arms as high up as she could. Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed and made her way to the door. She went to the bathroom and proceeded into the kitchen to make some breakfast for herself. Then she remembered, 'Naruto…I wonder if he's up…' she wondered as she walked up to his door, knocking a few times.

"Naruto….are you up?" she called quietly. After a few seconds of no response, she knocked again, this time using a slightly louder tone, "Naruto?"

After realizing that he wasn't going to answer, she slowly opened the door and peeked in. To her surprise, Naruto was nowhere to be found, she quirked a brow in thought, 'I wonder where he went….'

She shrugged and exited the room, shutting the door behind her. After having a quick breakfast, she decided against showering considering she did last night. She got out of her pajamas and changed into her normal, street clothes.

Usually she had a few hours to herself in the morning before she had to go to the hospital to help out, that is, when she wasn't on a mission. However, about twice a week, she didn't need to be a doctor, or a shinobi, she could just relax. And today was one of those days.

She decided on heading over to Tsunade's office to see if she needed anything before she began her day of leisure. On her way, she noticed quite a few people that she had never seen before but brushed it off as nothing. When she arrived at her destination, she could her Tsunade's muffled voice through the doors. She couldn't understand what was being said, but she knew that there was at least one other person in the room, after all, Tsunade doesn't usually talk to herself.

Inside the hokage's office, the topic changed, "You do realize that someone's on the other side of the doors, right?" questioned the hokage, surprised that the person she was talking to was still talking about the sensitive subject, even with someone within earshot.

The shinobi she was speaking to smiled, "Yeah….and I also knew she was listening in on our conversation in the council chamber yesterday…"

Tsunades eyes widened as she thought, 'He knew she was there….why wouldn't he have mentioned it?' she asked herself.

"Sakura…you may come in…" called the hokage.

Outside of the office, Sakura felt a bit nervous, she knew that Tsunade didn't like it when she listened in on her conversations. She sighed and opened the doors, to her surprise; Naruto was standing on the other side. He smiled and held the door open for her as she entered.

"Thanks…" she said, not taking her eyes off him.

Naruto formed a small smile on his face, "No problem…"

"Naruto….don't forget…" pressed the hokage as the blond shinobi made his way into the hallway.

"I'll try…" he stated as the doors swung shut.

Sakura couldn't help but chuckled to herself at his joking attitude; Tsunade just rubbed her forehead and motioned for Sakura to sit. The pink haired girl couldn't help but notice that her teacher had a small smile of her own plastered on her face.

"What are you here for Sakura?" Tsunade asked as she brought some paperwork to her desk from one of the drawers.

"I was just wondering if you needed any help tod—"she began.

"Sakura….today's one of your few days off…enjoy it…"

Sakrua smiled in thanks, but couldn't shake something off her mind, "Tsunade-sama….what where you and Naruto talking about?" she questioned.

The hokage turned around to look out the windows, "I really shouldn't talk about it…but I don't think it will be a problem…just don't go running your mouth around the village……" she stated.

Sakura moved closer to the edge of her seat in interest, "Fine, fine…"

Tsunade sighed, "As you know…Naruto is part of the League of Overseers…" she began, Sakura nodded her head, but she still didn't really have a good idea of what the League actually was, or what they truly did. Tsunade continued, "First let me explain the chain of command…first, there is an unnamed rank…similar to our rank of gennin, then there is the rank of Associate, followed by captain. The unnamed rank is, for the most part, just you're every day, civilian informants, that don't play a large part in the League. Associates, I guess…you could compare them to grunts…they handle a lot of the ground work. Captains are just that…they lead small sects of associates…and on more difficult missions where one or two associates cannot complete it themselves; the captain might step in to help. The captains are headed by the governors…there are about fifty of them…all of whom are in charge of their respective chambers." She explained.

"What do you mean by chamber?" questioned Sakura as she tried to comprehend everything.

"There are about fifty chambers; one for each governor to head…the chamber is the headquarters of each of the governors designated regions of the continent. Almost all of the regions are of similar size; however, considering the population of the region, and the amount of activity in the area…some chambers might have more members than others. The average region has around…ten or so captains…and each captain operates his own post, spread somewhat evenly throughout the region. Each post has around fifteen associates."

Sakura quirked a brow, "So…the captains go to these chambers to talk to the governors…then they go to their posts to relay orders, and missions to the associates?" she asked.

Tsunade nodded, "For the most part…I don't know exactly how it works…but that's the gist of it….anyways…the governors are headed by the council, which is a group of five respected members, usually former governors, and typically continue to operate as a governor, only they also hold the title and responsibilities of a councilmember. This Tenzo that Naruto was talking about at yesterday's meeting…he is one of the councilmember's…one of the most influential of the five, hence his title as Speaker of the Council."

Sakura nodded, "Okay…so ah…what's Naruto's position then?" she asked in curiosity.

"Well…he says that he doesn't officially have a rank…if he did, based on his privileges and responsibilities within the League, he would be somewhere between governor and the council." She explained.

Sakura's mouth opened slightly before she spoke, "So…he's a pretty big part of it then…" she said, more than asked.

Tsunade smiled, "Yup…there are a few others like him in the League…one, sometimes two, for each councilmember…they are like the councils personal envoy. Naruto is positioned directly under Tenzo."

Sakura was quite impressed with this information, to think that Naruto would be that high up in this organization, which was apparently one of the most powerful, and most secretive organizations in the world.

"Well…that can't be all that you talked about…." stated Sakura, trying to get more information on the meeting that took place only a few minutes ago.

Tsunade smiled, "No…it's not….but the rest is classified…" she said teasingly.

Sakura put on a fake pout and crossed her arms, "Are you sure?" she asked in an innocent tone.

This only caused Tsunade to laugh, "Yes…it's something that I shouldn't even know myself…." She stated, getting more serious towards the end of her sentence.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, 'If she shouldn't even know it…then…it must be something huge….' She thought to herself.

"Well…anyways…I'm somewhat busy so if you wouldn't mind…I need to get some of this paperwork done…" stated the hokage. Sakura stood and bowed to her master and quietly exited the room, leaving Tsunade to herself.

As she made her way down the street, she noticed Naruto leaning over the edge of one of the low lying bridges, looking at his reflection in the water below. She walked over to him, and took a spot only a few feet away. "Naruto…" she began, but didn't really know how to ask. It didn't matter however, for Naruto must have known what she wanted to know.

"It's about something that I'm not really sure about…something that the League is having trouble comprehending…" he stated.

Sakura looked at her former teammate, then back to the water, "Is it about those shinobi who think their like…divine…or something like that?" she asked.

"No….it's something I didn't even mention in the council chamber…." he explained.

Noticing his uneasy mood towards the subject, Sakura decided she should change it, "So, I hear you and that Hahari girl were seeing each other for a while…" she teased, laughing at the expression he had. One of slight embarrassment towards the subject.

"Yeah…and how would you know that?" he asked in a friendly tone.

Sakura smiled, "Well, we kind of hit it off on the right foot…I think I could grow to like that girl…" stated the pink haired girl.

"Great…" joked Naruto as he turned around and leaned against the rail, resting his elbows on the stone surface. "Now I'll have both of you conspiring behind my back…"

Sakura chuckled and did the same. By this time, it was only around noon, but it looked like it was later because of some dark looking clouds that had rolled in rather quickly. There was still a few hours before today's meeting would begin.

"Wow…that doesn't look friendly…" stated Sakura, noticing the menacing weather.

Naruto looked up, "Nope…not at all…" he agreed in a casual tone.

They began to walk back into the innards of the village to try and escape the rain under some balconies.

All of a sudden, Sakura's stomach began to grumble, catching the attention of the blond standing next to her. Naruto chuckled, "Are we hungry?" he asked jokingly.

Sakura turned away out of embarrassment, "…I had breakfast earlier…but that was a few hours ago…" she stated.

Sakura noticed Naruto walk towards one of the restaurants on his left, so, naturally she followed. He entered the building and took a seat; Sakura followed him in, but merely stood near the table in slight confusion.

The waiter walked up to the table and greeted the shinobi, "Good afternoon sir, may I get you –" he began, before noticing who was sitting at the table. His eyes widened a bit as he cleared his throat, "May I get you a drink while you figure out what you want?" he questioned, obviously nervous.

"Sure…and, could I have another menu…" he requested, as he motioned towards Sakura, "for my friend…"

The waiter looked at the girl standing next to him, "Oh…my apologies, I didn't realize you two were together…" he stated as he walked off to get the second menu.

Sakura looked at Naruto with a questioning expression. He looked back at her with a small smile, "What…it's gloomy and raining out…and you seemed like you could use a bite to eat…and I was feeling in the mood for a nice lunch…so…" he explained as he encouraged her to take a seat.

Just then, the waiter came back with a second menu in hand. "Now…what can I get the two of you to drink?" he questioned, notepad at the ready.

Naruto was busy reading his menu, so he didn't bother looking at the waiter, "I'll just have water…please…"

Sakura was still looking at him in a slight state of confusion. The waiter quickly jotted down the blonds order, then turned to Sakura, "Miss….what would you like?" he asked.

"Um…I'll just have water also, please." She requested.

"Very well…I'll give you a few moments to decide on your orders then." He stated as he walked off to get the drinks.

Naruto had already decided what he was going to get, so he placed his menu at the edge of the table, then noticed that Sakura hadn't even picked up her menu yet.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

Sakura shook her head, "Nothing…nothing's wrong…I was just…." She began, but realized she had nothing to say, leaving her feeling awkward.

Naruto smiled, "Well…are you gonna take a look at the menu…or am I gonna be the only one eating?" he asked in a slightly teasing way.

Sakura smiled and opened her menu, just then, the waiter came back with the two waters, "Are you ready to order?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "I'll have the…Yakitori and a bowl of Domburi, please."

The waiter scratched the order onto his notepad, "Very well…and for you?" he asked, looking to Sakura.

She put her menu on the edge of the table over Naruto's, "I think I'll have the Sukiyaki, please."

"Very well." stated the man as he walked off to place the order.

"Where'd you run off to this morning, I was gonna make you breakfast but you weren't in your room…" Sakura stated as she relaxed a bit in her chair.

"That would have been awfully nice of you." replied Naruto in a teasing tone.

Sakura chuckled and took a sip of her water, then she looked out the window. The street was beginning to wash away because of the heavy rain, which means there would be a lot of puddles to avoid on the way home.

She suddenly remembered something about the other day, "Hey Naruto?" she questioned, said shinobi only looked at her in anticipation of her question, "The other day, when you were fighting that Akatsuki guy, Kakashi was acting all weird and saying stuff like, 'Wow…he actually learned that…' and stuff like that…do you know what he might have been talking about?" she asked.

Naruto thought about it for a moment before it hit him, "Oh…that…the thing he was talking about was a technique that the forth hokage was known for…the jutsu that gave him the name, 'The Yellow Flash'."

Sakura quirked a brow, "I thought he was the only one who knew that technique…howd you learn it?" she asked.

Naruto leaned in a bit, which only made Sakura lean in as well, thinking that she was going to be let in on a great mystery. After a few seconds of silence, and making Sakura get plenty anxious, Naruto grinned, "It's a secret…" then he leaned back in his seat and began to chuckle.

Sakura pouted and slouched back in her seat, "That's not funny…." She complained.

After a few minutes of conversation, the waiter came back with their meals. Naruto ate all of his in a few minutes, catching the attention of his friend. She smiled at the fact that he hadn't changed _too_ much, he was still a pig, he just wasn't as messy when it came to eating.

Sakura had only eaten about half of her meal when she realized that she was full. She pushed her plate towards the center of the table and leaned back in her seat. The waiter came back with the bill, and left the two in order to attend to another table.

Sakura reached into her back pouch to get some money for the meal, however, before she could, Naruto already put the money on the table, along with a decent tip.

"Naruto, I'll pay for mine if you---" she began.

"Nonsense…" he stated, trying to impersonate a gentleman's tone of voice, "I brought you here, you shouldn't have to pay at all…"

Sakura tried to persuade him otherwise, but he just stood up and began to leave. 'Still just as stubborn as always…' she thought.

She sighed and stood up, walking behind him, Naruto opened the door and held it for her; she nodded in thanks and exited the restaurant.

"Well….I'd say it's about time to head over to the council chamber for today's meeting…" he stated.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Shit…it's supposed to start in like…ten minutes…." She almost yelled as she began to panic.

Naruto only chuckled, gaining the angry glare of the pink haired girl, "How can you be so calm about this??" she questioned.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he began to walk down the street, "I don't know….I'm really just not all that concerned with it I guess…" he replied.

Sakura followed suit and looked to the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. 'Figures…he goes and gets lazy…'

"Well, I'm gonna head over…" she stated as she turned in the other direction.

"Okay…I'll be there in a few minutes…" he said as he waved.

---

The doors of the chamber opened slowly as Naruto entered, taking the same seat as the day before. All the while, Tsunade was glaring at the blond, "Nice of you to join us…" she seethed.

Naruto looked at her with a slight smile, "I thought so…" he replied. Tsunade put her palm to her forehead and shook her head, smiling to herself at his insolence. Sakura couldn't help but smile as well. If you listened closely, you could here a few snickers coming from some of the other shinobi in the room.

"Well…since everyone's here…let's begin." stated the hokage.

"Right…." said Kakashi as he stood. "I've arranged for every chunin ranked shinobi and up to take lessons from one of those four…" he said as he pointed to Hahari, Kojin, Gamakichi, and Naruto respectively. "They're going to be teaching all of us a few new tricks…so pay attention. The lessons will be every morning at nine thirty at one of the training grounds." He explained, he had his dog summons distribute pieces of paper telling each shinobi which group they would be in, including any eligible shinobi who wasn't in the chamber.

"Thank you Kakahsi…now that that's out of the way…we need to discuss a sensitive topic…" stated the hokage as she glanced to her apprentice and Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke has been labeled a missing-nin by all of the hidden villages, besides Suna and Konoha." She explained.

Sakura was about to say something, however, Naruto beat her too it, only, his response wasn't what she would have expected. "I'm not surprised…after all, he technically betrayed his village, and he attacked Kumogakure." He stated in a casual tone.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, they all figured he would take this information the hardest, but it seemed as if he wasn't really concerned about it.

Tsunade quirked a brow, "I assume you already knew about it then?" she asked.

"We had a hunch…" he stated.

"We?"

Naruto sighed, "The League of Overseers…" he began, everyone mentally slapped themselves in the face for not realizing who he was talking about, then he continued, "…isn't the only secret organization out there…." And with that, everyone was left puzzled.

"Well then who are you talking about?" asked Tsunade.

Hahari and Kojin looked towards Naruto with a look of sorrow, noticing the pain that was hiding just under his face. "This one…is actually a branch organization off of the League…it doesn't actually have a name, we just refer to it's members as the Shadow Wardens." He stated.

"Shadow Wardens…I've never heard of them…" said Tsunade.

Naruto looked down a bit, "You wouldn't have…this highly classified information…even for the League…to be honest…most of the League doesn't even know the shadow wardens exist…"

"So…this information…hypothetically…if it were to be leaked…" began Shikaku.

Naruto shook his head, "That wouldn't be too good…for a lot of people…" he replied.

After everyone got their bearings, Tsunade spoke up, "What exactly…do the shadow wardens do?" she asked.

Naruto took a deep breath, "I can't say….just know that they had information on Sasuke being part of Akatsuki…before most of Akatsuki knew…" he said.

He cleared his throat and continued, "We assumed that Sasuke would be labeled as a missing-nin…but that wasn't a big deal…however…if Sasuke were to continue attacking settlements…then we would become involved…" he said in a calm tone, but underneath, almost everyone could at least sense a small amount of pain in his words.

"That's probably all we need to talk about today…the underwater village won't begin it's purification for a few weeks, and the Sentru are still on the move, but that's not something to be too worried about. All we should focus on is getting stronger to defend against all of these threats." suggested Gamakichi. Tsunade nodded in agreement.

"Very well….the next meeting will be in two days, Naruto….don't be late this time…." She scolded.

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled.

"Oh…and no one forget about these morning lessons…" Kakashi reminded everyone before the room began to empty.

---

"So…are you really gonna go through with this when the time comes?" questioned a feminine voice in a whisper.

The blond man leaned against a tree and sighed, "I don't have a choice if it comes to it…but…I feel that there's still a chance…for him to be spared…"

"Let's hope so…." stated another male as the group stood in silence for a few more moments before vanishing into the darkness of the night.

-

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* * *

There we are....and right on time.

Hopefully the chapters will be about this length from now on, Reviews are always appreciated, good or bad.

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	6. The First Class

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_T__he First Class_

* * *

Naruto walked up to Sakura's apartment door and knocked a few times. He waited a minute before knocking again, however, while he was about to wrap his knuckles over the wood of the door, it opened. On the other side stood his pink haired friend in her dark red, silk, form fitting pajama pants and a pinkish, silky shirt, a bit looser than her bottoms, but still quite form fitting.

Sakura blushed slightly when she noticed him give her a quick glance up and down her body. She stepped out of the way and motioned for him to enter, "Where have you been?" she asked in a friendly tone.

Naruto scratched his head, "I was just talking with Kojin and Hahari…" he replied.

Sakaru quirked a brow, "For almost eight hours?" she asked sarcastically.

By now, Naruto was standing in the main room, and Sakura, who had closed the door, was walking by him to take a seat on one of the couches. As she was bringing her legs up to the couch so she could curl up against one of the many cushions, Naruto looked at her with a smile, "Must have lost the time…"

Sakura grinned and shook her head, "Whatever..." She took a book off of the coffee table stationed in between the two couches in the center of the room and opened it to a page near the end. She then noticed that Naruto was still standing, just looking at the pictures on her walls.

Without taking her eyes off of her page she said, "Naruto…you can sit down you know…"

Gaining said shinobi's attention, he obliged and sat on the couch across from Sakura. He took a scroll out of one of his back pouches and began to scribble something onto it. This undoubtedly gained the attention of the girl sitting directly in front of him.

Again, without taking her eyes off of her book, she asked, "What are you writing?"

Naruto sighed, "Just some orders…"

Gaining her interest, Sakura lowered her book. She observed the way he eyed the scroll in front of him, his eyes seemed to be filled with determination. She watched him write down these 'orders' for a few minutes before she decided to question him further. "Um…who are you writing those for?" she asked.

Naruto looked up briefly before returning his attention to his scroll, "Being where I am in the League…I get stuck writing a bunch of orders for my captains…" he stated, almost in a bored tone.

"Wait…so you're in control of captains too…I thought you just worked directly under---" she stated, but once she got to the end of her sentence, she remembered that the conversation the other day was somewhat private.

Naruto smiled, not taking his eyes off the scroll, "Directly under…who?" he asked teasingly.

Sakura began to feel nervous, "No…I was just babbling is all…hehe…" she replied, trying to play it off as nothing. Naruto rolled up his scroll and sealed it, then, he formed a few seals, and the scroll vanished.

Sakura looked at him quizzically, "Where'd it go?"

Naruto looked at her and replied, "It went to my governor so he can distribute it…" Sakrua thought, 'So he can give orders to governors too…'

"But how—" she began.

"Every chamber has a special vault that is infused with chakra, when we want to give orders, and don't feel like going there ourselves…we can, I guess you could say…teleport the scroll's to the vault…" he explained.

"Interesting…" she mumbled.

"And…yeah…I work under Tenzo…but I also have my own governor, captains, and associates at the ready…they aren't the typical chamber though…they aren't assigned a region, they just do what my orders say…" he explained.

Sakura just looked at him for a moment before replying, "Isn't that information classified?"

Naruto smiled, "Very….but what…can I not trust you?" he questioned jokingly.

Sakura smiled, "Of course you can…"

"See…what's the problem then?"

Sakura chuckled and thought, 'Well, at least he still trusts me…' She decided this might be a good time to try and end her curiosity.

"Naruto…is there anything else you can tell me about the—" she began, but was cut off.

"I guess I could let a few things slip," he stated in an exaggerated tone, causing Sakura to smile to herself, "They were formed by the council to help better protect the great shinobi nations. More specifically, their governments. Each shadow warden is assigned a nation, and therefore, they must protect it, not necessarily from war or crime. However, if something were to happen, for instance, the Daimyo were assassinated, and civil war broke out, or something like that, it's the job of that countries shadow warden to help reestablish a sense of authority, either by temporarily taking control of the military to stabilize the nation, or by helping a party gain the power of government. But they must choose wisely, they should only help a cause that is ethical and likely to succeed." He explained.

Sakura was entranced by all of the information, "Does the government know that the shadow wardens exist?" she questioned.

Naruto smiled, "Not at all…the shadow wardens are supposed to be just that, a shadow. Of course, one person can't be all over the country at once, so they are given a governor and his subordinates to watch over the land and its government, separate from the other governors and their men."

Sakura was confused, "Wait…isn't that basically the same thing that the League does?"

Naruto stretched his arms, "Not really…it's actually very complicated and I don't even understand it fully myself. When I was inducted into the League as an associate, I was told that my purpose was to help protect the innocent from the corrupt. To aid the poor in any way I can, to help the sick find medicine, to basically help anyone who needed, and deserved it. The Leagues purpose is meant for everyone, not just the elite. However, the shadow wardens have their usual responsibilities, with the addition of allotting extra attention and resources to the protection of the government in an attempt to keep the countries as stable as possible. If a leader becomes to corrupt and feeds on the despair of their people, or become to power hungry, and say…try to take over the world…it's also the shadow wardens job to stop them, by whatever means necessary."

Sakura nodded, understanding a bit more of what he was talking about, "So…when did the shadow wardens start to be appointed?" she asked.

Naruto cleared his throat, "About…three years ago…" he replied.

Sakura was surprised, "Wow…so they haven't been around for too long…"

Naruto shook his head, "Nope…"

Sakura gained another curious look, "Who was the first shadow warden?" she asked.

Naruto looked her in the eyes and smiled, "That….I really shouldn't tell you."

She pouted but didn't push the subject any further; instead, she stretched her legs over the length of the couch and stretched her arms back, letting out a long, drawn out sigh.

Naruto chuckled, "Long day?" he asked sarcastically.

Sakura laughed to herself and rested her hands on her stomach while looking up at the ceiling. This brought a question to her mind. Why did Naruto look up all the time, what was so special about the ceiling? She couldn't figure it out, but when she was about to ask him, he stood up and excused himself.

"Well, I should probably get some sleep for tomorrow." He stated as he walked towards the room Sakura was letting him use.

Sakura nodded, "Sounds good, I should get some rest too." She watched as he slowly opened the door and stepped into the dark room, gently shutting the door behind him.

Sakura sighed and thought to herself, 'Maybe I'll ask him tomorrow.' She shrugged her shoulders and got stood up. Walking to the bathroom to take a quick shower before she crawled into her bed, she decided to simply go to bed now. She could shower in the morning.

-----

Sakura opened her eyes and noticed that it was already morning. She had been sleeping better and better these past few days. She sat up and rubbed her eyes so she could see clearly. Raising her arms into the air she yawned and let her hands drop to her sides. After a few minutes she got out of bed and made her way to the door. She exited her room and walked to the door of the bathroom. She brought her hand up to the doorknob and opened the door; however, she was slightly shocked at what she saw on the other side.

Naruto was standing there, leaning in close to the mirror with a razor in one hand, shaving cream on his face, and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. When he noticed the door open, he turned to the woman standing at the entrance with a look of surprise plastered on his face.

"Oh, sorry Naruto" she began, a slight tinge of pink appearing on her cheeks, "I didn't realize you were…" she said, but decided to step back and close the door. She put her back to the closed door and noticed that her heart seemed to be beating at a pace that was very rare. The only times it would beat this fast was when she was in serious trouble, or when she wakes up from a bad dream. She also noticed that she felt like she was burning up, again, something that didn't happen very often, if at all. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath to try and calm herself down. Then she walked over to one of the couches and took a seat.

A few minutes later she turned her head to the sound of an opening door. She watched him walk out of the bathroom and slowly close the door behind him. As it clicked shut, he turned his head to Sakura, who was blatantly staring at him. He was wearing an outfit similar to the one he had been wearing during the fight the other day. Only, he was just wearing the black tank top with no vest over it.

She shook her head when she notice what she had been doing, "Oh…sorry about that Naruto, I should have knocked before I went in." she apologized.

Naruto smiled, "Why should you need to say you're sorry, it's your apartment after all."

And with that, Naruto was already at the door to his room, with his back to her as he opened the door and entered, gently closing it behind him. As his back was facing her, the thing that caught her eye most was the tattoo he had on his left shoulder stretching down to his shoulder blade. When she got up and started to walk over to the bathroom, she noticed that her cheeks were a bit warm. 'Sure is hot in here…' she tried to tell herself. But on the inside, she knew why she was feeling like this.

After she had taken a shower and put on a fresh set of clothes, she left the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She walked towards her kitchen door, which also doubled as the dining room. However, on her way over, only feet from the door, she stopped in her tracks as she noticed something. 'Did he…' she began to think as she walked up to the door and slowly pushed it open.

When she entered she almost fell to the floor because of what she saw. At the table before her was her blonde haired friend, and in front of him was a big homemade breakfast for two.

"Oh, hey Sakura." He greeted her warmly, "I hope you don't mind, but I figured…since you're letting me stay here, the least I could do was make breakfast."

Sakura found herself smiling, "Thanks Naruto, I appreciate it." She said while taking a seat across from the blonde, "Why didn't you start eating yet?" she asked as she noticed the food on his plate hadn't been touched.

Naruto looked down at his plate then back to the young woman, "I didn't want to be rude." He stated bluntly, but she could sense a bit of sarcasm in his tone.

Naruto turned his attention to the food at hand and began eating. Sakura also began to eat her food, but was utterly surprised when it hit her tongue. "Wow…this is really good." She exclaimed.

Naruto snickered, "Yeah, okay, just hurt my feelings why don't ya…" he joked.

Sakura chuckled, "No really, it's probably the best breakfast I've had in years." She stated.

"Well, thanks." He replied, but quickly brought up another subject when it came to his mind, "Oh crap!" he exclaimed.

Sakura jumped slightly at his sudden outburst, "What?" she asked in concern.

"I was supposed to be somewhere by now, sorry Sakura but I need to go…enjoy your breakfast." He said as he got up and headed for the door.

"Okay, just remember that you need to be at the training area later on." She reminded him as he left.

He turned back just as he was closing the door, "Yup…I won't forget."

When the door swung shut, Sakura turned back to her food and suddenly felt her appetite disappear. She quirked a brow in slight confusion, it had been an excellent breakfast after all, so why the sudden loss of appetite.

----

"Master, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes…come, come, take a seat." stated the old man sitting behind a desk. "I wanted to make your orders a bit clearer; our last meeting was cut a bit short."

"What about it, it's a simple slash and cash, isn't it?" said the hooded man sitting in a chair in front of the desk. The old man, however, noticed the slight pain in the man's voice.

"If I'm not mistaken, you were once close to this person, no?"

The man looked down slightly before looking at the old man with full determination, "Yes, I knew him once…but that was a long time ago." He stated.

"Well, regardless, the employers have agreed to a slight change in the contract. Your mission now is not to merely stop him, but instead, you are required to protect the participants and any bystanders, by whatever means necessary."

The man's eyes widened slightly, "So…I'm not actually _required_ to kill him…only as a last resort?" he asked with hope present in his tone.

The old man shook his head in acknowledgement. The younger man simply bowed in thanks right before taking his leave.

----

At the moment, a certain pink haired kunoichi was tapping her foot with her arms crossed, trying to remain patient. Just then, the person she, and about twenty or so other shinobi, had been waiting for appeared from behind the group.

"Heh…sorry about that, I got a little side tracked." He explained as he walked up to the group while scratching the back of his head.

Sakura brought her arms to her sides, fists noticeably clenched, "A little side tracked…you're a good hour late. I even reminded you this morning not to be late." She huffed. Then she realized that almost the entire group was looking at her, not many of them knew that Naruto was staying in her extra room, so it sounded like something else.

She blushed slightly, but luckily for her, no one was in front of her, besides Naruto, so no one could see her face.

Naruto smiled at her obvious embarrassment, but decided to make the situation less awkward on her, "Well…when I was walking down the street earlier, I was half asleep, I guess I just didn't hear you." He explained.

The group all mentally nodded in understanding, Sakura, however, only looked at him with a quirked brow as he walked past her towards the middle of the group.

"Okay…is everyone ready to start?" he questioned as he stood there with a big smile plastered on his face. Everyone began to converge around him in anticipation of the start of the day's lesson. Sakura squeezed through the crowd of people so she could get a better view of what was going on.

"First off, some of the stuff that we're gonna be teaching you, you won't get the hang of it right away…most of you probably won't even understand it." He added jokingly, "I know I didn't." he stated, causing the crowned to chuckle.

"So what are you going to be teaching us then?" asked Kiba, obviously awaiting the new techniques.

Naruto grinned, "Not so fast Kiba, first, I want everyone to spread out into a large circle around me." He instructed, waiting patiently for the group to do as they were asked.

"Okay, now I want all of you to keep your arms at your sides and completely relax. Then, when you feel relaxed, close your eyes and think of something. It can be something good…or bad, just think of something that gets your blood pumping." He ordered. Everyone did as they were told, he noticed that some of them seemed to be slightly trembling in anger at the thing they chose to imagine. Others were smiling, Sakura being a prime example. Naruto turned to her and chose her to be the first person to perform the technique on.

"Now…I'm going to come up to each of, I want everyone to keep their eyes shut, stay relaxed, and don't break focus or you'll just be wasting time. When I'm in front of you, I'm gonna put one hand on your head, and the other on your stomach, so don't get freaked out when it happens."

Sakura turned her head down slightly in embarrassment at what he was saying, but she never lost her focus. She was thinking about her past. To be specific, the times when team 7 was complete, Sasuke included. However, she did seem to be thinking of something else at the same time, or rather, someone. Every time the person appeared in her mind, she would feel herself smile, time and time again.

Then, when she heard the sound of someone walking over the grass in her direction, she gulped softly, and noticed that her palms seemed to be getting sweaty. As Naruto came closer to his target, he noticed her breathing pick up, ever so slightly. Then, he slowly brought his hand over her head, and cautiously let it rest over her silky smooth hair. He couldn't help but notice her jump slightly as he did it, but he also didn't fail to notice her small smile.

He brought his other hand up to her stomach, and before he placed it over her, she could fell it right there. She straightened up as he moved his hand to touch her, and even though she tried her best, her breathing faulted into something more labored. She could also feel her pulse quicken, but she couldn't do anything about it. To be honest, she felt weak at that moment; his presence was akin to something of raw power.

Just then, she felt his hands leave her, and just as quickly as they were gone, she felt something else. She felt like something had changed, something had been altered within her physiology.

Before Naruto moved on to the next person, he leaned closer to her ear, "Feels good, doesn't it." He stated more than asked. He was right, she couldn't quite place it, but it did feel good, it felt empowering. "Oh…you can open your eyes by the way." He informed her.

She nodded in acknowledgment and slowly opened her eyes to see him standing before her with a small smile on his face. But only seconds later he had moved on to the next person. She finally felt her pulse and breathing subsides into something a bit more normal, but had to admit, _that_ feeling also felt good, which caused her to blush slightly at the thought.

She watched Naruto tend to each of the people in the circle until he was back to her, which was about an hour later. She couldn't help but notice that he hadn't told anyone else to open their eyes.

He made his way back to the center of the group, "Okay, everyone open your eyes." He ordered.

As the people began to open their eyes, some of them started to mutter to the people near them. One of them, however, decided to take it up with Naruto himself, "What exactly did you do…for some reason, I feel stronger." stated one of the shinobi.

Naruto chuckled, "That's probably because you are." He stated, gaining the surprised looks of everyone in the circle. "Well, at least you will be, in time."

"What do you mean?" questioned Shikamaru, curious as to what had just been done.

"Well, you know that forbidden jutsu we were talking about the other day?" questioned the blonde.

At those words everyone gasped in disgust, thinking that their lives had just been taken away from them. But before anyone could say a word in protest, Naruto raised his voice. "Well…that was basically a watered down version of it. The power you get won't be on the same level as the complete jutsu, but at least it doesn't affect your life." He stated in reassurance.

Ino sighed in relief, "Jeez…I thought I was done for." She chuckled.

Naruto brought a hand to his mouth and let out a big drawn out sigh. He was noticeably exhausted, "Hey Naruto…how much chakra did you use for this?" questioned Kiba.

Naruto grinned, "Probably too much…I'm thinkin' I might pass out." He joked, gaining the laughter of the group. "But seriously, I'm in no condition to start teaching today, neither are the other groups, it just drains too much chakra…and trust me, in a few minutes none of you are going to want to train either." He stated.

"Wh…" began Kakashi before he felt a wave of utter exhaustion overtake him.

Naruto chuckled out loud, "Yeah…that's what I meant, you should probably make your way back to your beds before you pass out in the streets."

The whole group mumbled friendly insults to him while they all headed to their homes to fall on their beds. Naruto would be getting a heap of complaints when everyone was rested and back on their feet in good working order.

Sakura was the only one who had stayed in the training field; "Hey, aren't you tired?" questioned Naruto. Sakura only nodded, for she was to out of it to say anything, probably because she was the first one he did it to. "Well then you should probably head to your apartment to get some rest." Again, she nodded and started to walk in the direction of the village, but started to stumble. Naruto noticed and managed to make his way to her before she fell flat on her face.

'Now that I think about it…it probably would have been a better idea to do that inside of the village.' He thought as he picked her up and started walking back to her apartment.

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Okay, I just want to start by saying I apologize. I know at the end of my last chapter I promised that I would update like every week, or something like that. But obviously I haven't been doing that. I know it probably makes me seem like a douche, but hey, we all have our moments right. Anyways, I'm not gonna throw a bunch of lame excuses at you or anything. Hopefully I can get back into writing this with what went down in 458, is it just me, or has Kishi just been dumping stuff out of his secret romance bag lately. The hard part about that is I came up with a sweat idea for a new story, but at the moment I have three incomplete stories going on, this one, and two others that I haven't touched in at least a few months now. So I probably wont start the new one until I have a few chapters for this story at least saved on my comp. (and I know this chap is shorter than the last one, but I felt that I owed it to any of you who might have been waiting on it)

As always, reviews are appreciated, good or bad.

(If anyone watched the XGames...I just thought I'd let you know...It's crap that Napolitan didn't win the big air comp, granted it was a big air comp and he only got like ten or eleven ft. or something like that, but that double front flip was probably the Illest part of this years games.)

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	7. Quick Training

**I do not own Naruto**

The Overseers

_Quick Training_

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Sakura was awake; she had been for a few minutes. She was just laying on the couch thinking about what had happened earlier that day. Naruto had performed some sort of jutsu on the whole group that he was supposed to be teaching, and every one of them started to get exhausted after he had finished. She knew that she hadn't walked home herself; she wouldn't have been able to. In fact, she could remember hardly being able to stand, not to mention move. This meant only one thing, that he had brought her home and placed her on the couch to rest. She was grateful for the action, but then again, what was he going to do, leave her out in the middle of the field.

She decided it was time to get up, however, when she sat herself up straight, she began to feel extremely lightheaded and felt like she was going to pass out. After a minute or so, she felt a bit more stable and felt confident enough to stand. She was able to walk, although very clumsily, but she managed to make her way to the kitchen where she proceeded to get herself a glass of water. She downed the first glass in mere seconds and she went on to fill the cup again, this time, she walked back out to her common room and took a seat on one of the couches. 'I wonder where he is…' she found herself thinking. She quirked a brow and began to come up with possibilities of where her blond friend could possibly be.

After a few minutes of contemplation, she mentally smacked herself in the face. She must have been out of it still, for she had forgotten to check his room, which would have been the first logical place to look. She sighed and got to her feet, and by now, her walking was basically back to normal, although, she started to notice the onset of a massive migraine, which she wasn't looking forward to. She made her way to his door and knocked a few times, but with no answer. She waited a few more seconds before knocking a second time, still no answer. So she decided to peek inside of the room, and to her surprise, the only things that would tell you that someone was staying in the room was the unmade bed and a small pile of dirty clothes at the foot of the bed.

She sighed again and slowly closed the door, deciding that it was time to take a walk to try and get herself back to normal. So she put her boots on, which she assumed Naruto had taken off for her, and made her way out the door. To her surprise, it was almost dark, with the sun almost gone for the night. She was slightly relieved though; a bright sun would only make her migraine worse.

She walked down the street towards the center of the village, until she came across Ten-Ten.

"Hey Sakura, how was your day of _training_?" she asked sarcastically.

Sakura chuckled, "I'm guessing it happened to you too?" she asked.

Ten-Ten sighed, "Yeah…they did it to all four groups I guess, although we shouldn't be complaining if it does what they say it should." The weapons specialist stated.

Sakura smiled, "Well of course it will, Naruto wouldn't do that for the fun of it." She reassured her friend. Ten-Ten chuckled and was about to say something, but someone had already beat her to it.

"What does Naruto do for fun?" questioned a masculine voice from behind. Both of the girls turned their attention in the direction of the voice. Ten-Ten laughed, "Speak of the devil." She said jokingly.

Sakura turned her attention slightly to the ground as he made his way to the two. "Where are you coming from?" asked Ten-Ten, who was now leaning against a light post.

Naruto scratched his neck briefly, "I was talking to granny for a while, now I'm just on my way back to Sakura's, that jutsu really took a lot out of me." he stated.

Ten-ten had a look of surprise on her face, "Your staying at Sakura's?" she asked, gaining a sly grin, "Are you two seeing each other finally?" she laughed.

Both Naruto and Sakura blushed slightly at her comment, "No…I just needed a place to stay…" the blond began.

"Yeah, and besides, what was I gonna do, let him stay out in the rain all night?" Sakura asked jokingly.

Ten-ten smiled, "Yeah, I'm sure that's what it was." She said.

"Really, I'm just letting him stay in my extra room." The pink haired girl said, glancing at Naruto momentarily. He seemed to be spacing out at the moment.

Ten-ten apparently noticed the blond as well and began waving her hand in front of his blue eyes. With no reaction, she started snapping her fingers, gaining his attention.

"Sorry, I was just thinking…" he stated.

"Whatever…I'll see you two tomorrow; unless that jutsu ends up killing us over night…" She said jokingly, gently punching Naruto in the shoulder.

Naruto started to laugh, "Don't worry, you won't…I hope." He said in a friendly tone. Ten-Ten turned back at his last comment with a smug expression on her face, then she merely stuck her tongue out at him and smiled as she started to walk down the street. Sakura, for some reason, felt odd during that conversation, as if Ten-Ten was flirting with Naruto, and it made her feel uneasy.

"And where are you off to?" asked the blond as he turned to Sakura.

Sakura cleared her throat and looked up at him, "I don't know, I was just walking around…" she replied.

Naruto chuckled and looked up to the night sky, "At this hour…it's already dark." He stated, still not taking his eyes off of the darkness above his head.

Sakura found this to be a pretty good time to ask a question she had been meaning to bring up, "Hey Naruto?"

"Hm?" he responded.

"Why do you always do that…I mean, why do you look up all the time?" she asked, looking up at the sky, trying to figure out what was so special about it. She then looked to Naruto's face, anticipating a response.

He looked down slightly and smiled, "I don't know to be honest. I just did it one night while I was gone, and I've done it ever since…It's relaxing." He stated.

Sakura smiled and turned in the direction of her apartment, "Well, we should probably head back," she suggested, "…it's getting late."

Naruto nodded in agreement and they began walking back to Sakura's apartment at a rather lazy pace. What should have taken only a few minutes ended up being almost a half an hour. Not much had been said on the way, just a few remarks about the night sky, bringing up funny stories about the past, things like that.

As they came to the door to her apartment it quickly began to rain. Sakura hurriedly unlocked her door and pushed it open, moving out of the way so Naruto could get in.

"Well that came out of nowhere." stated the Kunoichi.

Naruto chuckled, "I'll say…I didn't even notice any clouds." He stated.

Sakura smiled at his demeanor, "Yeah, I thought it was gonna be a clear night."

Naruto unintentionally let out a yawn and covered his mouth, "Excuse me…"

'When did he go and get manners?' she questioned mentally, letting out a small smile.

"I guess I'm more wiped out than I thought." He let out a laugh as he made his way to his room. "Night Sakura, I hope you sleep well." He said as he waved goodnight and vanished into the blackness of his room, gently shutting the door behind him.

Sakura walked to her door, she was feeling tired also and thought she should just go to bed. She opened the door slowly and entered. 'Goodnight Naruto.' She said in her head right before shutting the door for the night.

------

Sakura woke up the next morning and groaned. She felt like she hadn't slept at all that night. As she sat up, she noticed something, something that was to her liking. She sniffed the air around her and began to smile, 'That's the second time he's cooked breakfast.' She thought as she got up and stretched. Exiting her room, she lazily made her way to the kitchen door and pushed it open. Naruto greeted her with a warm smile as she sat at the table.

"Looks like I made this right on time." He stated.

Sakura took notice that he had obviously already showered and was in a new set of clothes. "Yup…but Naruto, you don't need to…" she began.

"I figure its part of the deal…you let me sleep in that room, and I make you breakfast." he said with a wide grin as he put some food on his plate.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "That's sweet." She said in a soft tone as she began to eat. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence, which in reality was only a few minutes, Sakura decided to speak. "Hey, Naruto…do you think there's any chance that Sasuke might come back?" she asked in a cautious tone.

Naruo sat up straight and gave her a weak smile, "I honestly don't know anymore…I'd like to think that he will eventually come back. When I really think about it, though, it would be awkward for awhile. After all, he did side with our enemy, and he betrayed the village. And I don't even know if the villagers would allow him to come back after all he's done. But I would like to think that it could work out." He explained in a saddened voice.

Sakura nodded, "I thought about those things too…and it would be pretty awkward." She stated.

Naruto grinned, "It would be nice to have him around now though…considering all the problems we're facing around here." He halfheartedly joked.

Sakura chuckled, even in times when he was in pain, emotional or physical, he always managed to put on a smile and make everyone else feel better.

"You all done?" he asked.

She quirked a brow, "Huh?" she questioned, not really knowing what he was referring to.

"The food…are you done?" he repeated. She nodded and he stood up, taking all of the dishes to the sink.

When he began washing them Sakura got up, "Naruto…you don't need to wash them…you cooked after all." She said.

"Eh…I'm already doing it." He said teasingly, sticking his tongue out at her. She smiled, she already knew that he hadn't changed _too_ much, but she was very glad that he still had his goofball attitude. Now that she thought about it, Naruto was the same person she knew before he left for his training trip. He was just a bit more patient, which wasn't a bad thing in the slightest. She never felt awkward around him, like he had never even left. It was as if they picked up right where they left off.

"Well, at least let me help you then." She said as she bumped him with her hip to get him to move a bit. She grabbed a plate from the sink and stole the sponge from Naruto's hands.

"Hey, I was using that…" he complained, in a joking manner.

"Not anymore." She said with a smile on her face.

"Oh yeah…" he said as he scooped up some soap foam in the palm of his hand and blew it at her.

"Hey…knock it off." She chuckled, deciding to join in on his fun, throwing the wet sponge at his chest.

"Come on…now I'm all wet." He laughed while flicking some of the suds at her from the sink. She put her arms up in a defensive manner, smile plastered on her face as she laughed.

"Stop it…" she said in between giggles.

"Only if I don't get attacked by any more sponges." He offered.

Sakura pouted, "Fine…" she said facetiously.

They both smiled, Sakura pushed him away from the sink, "Don't worry about these, I'll deal with them later." She said.

Naruto sighed, "If you insist." He grumbled jokingly. "Hopefully this will dry before the training starts." He said, pulling his shirt slightly at the wet spot on his chest.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Oh yeah…I forgot about that, I need to go shower real quick." She said as she began to leave.

"You sure?" he asked, "Today, you're probably gonna get pretty sweaty." He explained.

She quirked a brow, "Then why'd you shower?" she asked with a grin. Naruto smiled and shrugged, as if he didn't have an answer. "That's what I thought." She said victoriously as she exited the kitchen.

-----

A few hours later, Naruto was standing in the center of a circle of shinobi; the same group that he had performed the Jutsu on the day before. Unfortunately, it was raining rather hard.

"Okay…the training that we're going to be doing from this point forward, isn't really conventional training…you're gonna need to do that on your own time." He spoke over the rain. "What I'm here to teach you, is how to develop what happened to you yesterday. You've all noticed that you feel stronger, like you could take on the whole world by yourself…but, you still need to bring that power to the surface, if you know what I mean." He said.

"So, what are we gonna do then?" questioned one of the shinobi in the circle.

"Well, it's mainly meditation and stuff like that." He stated.

"What…that's no fun…" mumbled Kiba as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Naruto grinned, "No…not at all, but, once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to develop it on your own, whenever you have the time." He explained.

"So, what is it that we need to do?" asked Shikamaru.

"Just do what I do." Naruto said as he spread his legs slightly apart and brought one hand to his stomach, the other straight up. Everyone followed his example. He nodded, then looked to Sakura momentarily. She noticed him looking at her, which made her look away. Naruto smiled and told everyone to close their eyes. Before she did, Sakura glanced at Naruto again, only to see him looking in her direction with that smile plastered on his face. She quickly closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly downward. "Now…think of a ball of energy, it could be fire, or lightning, or pure light, just get it in your head. Once you have that, start to picture that as your heart, and every pulse isn't blood, its raw energy. Imagine it flowing through your veins."

Sakura did as instructed and after a few minutes, she started to notice that she felt stronger than normal. She couldn't place it, but she felt like she could take on anyone at that moment.

"It feels good, right?" Naruto questioned jokingly causing a few of the shinobi to laugh. "Alright, whenever you're ready, you can stop." He stated. Most of the shinobi, including Sakura, opened their eyes right after he said that, only to notice that he was now in a different stance, doing some sort of jutsu.

"What are you doing?" questioned Kiba.

Naruto stopped and stood up straight, "I was acting as a conduit I guess you could say…eventually you will be able to do that on your own." He explained.

"Conduit…you've expanded your vocabulary." joked Shikamaru with a friendly smile.

"Haha…" Naruto said sarcastically as he shook his head. "Anyways, that's it for the day…"

"Huh? That's it?" questioned one of the shinobi, asking what was on everyone else's minds.

Naruto grinned, "What time do you think it is?" he asked, looking up at the sky.

Everyone's eyes widened. The sun was now on the opposite side of the sky, it had been nearly nine hours since they started. "But…" one of them began.

"You are all masters at meditation." He joked, "It won't take that long ever again, I just wanted to get a decent amount done today. Anyways, after the next training session tomorrow, Kojin, Hahari and myself will be meeting here after group training to do a little training ourselves. Anyone is welcome to join us; it'll be more combat oriented." He stated. Everyone nodded and Naruto began to make his way to the village before anyone could ask him any questions.

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"You ran off awfully quick." A young woman's voice could be heard.

Naruto turned around, although, he already knew who it was. "Eh…I don't like all the questioning?"

"Ah…that's the reason..." she said sarcastically.

Naruto smiled, "What's that supposed to mean?" he inquired as he began to walk again, Sakura walking next to him now.

Sakura grinned, "Nothing." She said while she started to play with a necklace around her neck. Naruto hadn't noticed it before.

"That's nice…did your boyfriend get it for you?" he asked, motioning towards her necklace. She looked at it momentarily then smiled, "Yeah, because I've been walking around with my boyfriend all the time." She said.

"Well..it's a bit sudden, but I guess I could give it a try." He joked.

Sakura gently pushed him, "Funny.." she said sarcastically.

Naruto chuckled and continued walking, "Actually, a woman gave it to me on one of my missions after…" she began, but trailed off.

"You don't have to tell me." He said.

Sakura smiled, "Sorry, I just don't like talking about it." She explained, "Anyways, I'm going to give it to my child someday." She said, glancing over at Naruto. He noticed out of the corner of his eye and smiled. She gulped and looked ahead, hoping he wouldn't say anything.

"Hopefully it's a girl…I'm not really sure a guy would want to wear that." He joked.

Sakura chuckled, "You wear the one Tsunade gave you." She explained.

Naruto smiled, "Yeah, but that's blue…yours is pink." He teased.

Sakura laughed and shook her head, "Whatever."

There was a moment of silence as they were walking, until Naruto decided to ask something, "Hey, do you wanna go get some lunch?"

Sakura looked at him momentarily then smiled, "Sure…wouldn't it be dinner though…your training did waste half of my day after all." She joked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry about that by the way."

"Don't worry about it, hey, I've been wanting to try this place for awhile…I'll race you there." She said.

Naruto chuckled, "Oh…you're on." And with that, the two were racing to the restaurant Sakura had in mind.

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I know it's been a while since my last post, sorry about that but I lost interest in the story for a while. Reviews are appreciated, good or bad.

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